New Delhi, February 23 The Delhi Police has made seven arrests, including three from Gwalior, in connection with the "shirtless" protest by Indian Youth Congress workers at the AI Impact Summit here last week, an official said on Monday.
Charges of promoting enmity between groups and making assertions harmful to national integration have been added to the FIR against them.
Jitendra Yadav, Raj Gujjar, and Ajay Kumar were apprehended from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to seven, the police said.
The police have also detained IYC's Uttar Pradesh general secretary Ritik alias Monty Shukla from Lalitpur in UP and are questioning IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib.
The police have also added sections from the BNS, including 196 (promoting enmity between different groups...and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 197 (assertions prejudicial to national integration).
The punishment under these sections includes imprisonment, which may extend to three years.
Charges of criminal conspiracy, obstructing a public servant in the discharge of duty, disobeying an order duly promulgated by a public servant, unlawful assembly, and common intention have already been slapped against them.
On Friday, a group of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers staged a dramatic shirtless protest at an exhibition hall during the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam, walking around holding T-shirts with slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal printed on them, before being taken away by security personnel present at the venue.
The Delhi Police arrested four IYC workers on the day of the protest, with officials saying that a wider conspiracy angle in the matter is under investigation.
The issue triggered a political slugfest with the BJP calling it a “shameful act to tarnish India’s image on the global stage”, and the IYC defending it as a “peaceful” demonstration aimed at safeguarding national interests.
According to the police, the IYC workers on Friday entered the lobby area of Hall No. 5 and raised slogans after removing the T-shirts worn under their shirts.
According to police sources, the protesters allegedly registered online to obtain QR codes to enter the venue. The accused had initially planned to paste printed stickers on black umbrellas and sneak them into the Bharat Mandapam.
However, they later felt that the black umbrellas might draw the attention of the security personnel manning the gates, so they changed their plan and got the printed stickers placed on T-shirts and wore them under their shirts, a source said.
Once inside, they raised slogans after removing the shirts worn over slogan-printed T-shirts, which read “PM is compromised”, “India-US Trade Deal” and “Epstein Files”.
The sources claimed the protesters also manhandled some police officers on duty, and the entire matter is under investigation.
The investigators are also probing the financial trail behind the protest, including who funded printing slogans on the T-shirts and more names have surfaced during interrogation of the accused, the sources said.
