New Delhi, February 26 Members of the Congress' youth wing held a demonstration in the national capital on Thursday against the arrest of its president, Uday Bhanu Chib, and other leaders in connection with the "shirtless protest" at the AI summit.
The protestors termed the charges against the arrested leaders as "baseless" and demanded their immediate release.
Several senior Congress leaders, including Pawan Khera, Lok Sabha MP Deepender Hooda, and the party's Delhi unit president Devender Yadav, also joined the demonstration.
"Youth Congress workers have consistently raised issues concerning young people, farmers, and citizens across the country. Whenever questions are raised about accountability, arrests are made," said Varun Pandey, the national chairman of the media department of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC).
Asserting that "peaceful protest is a democratic right and not a crime", he claimed that the IYC had sought permission from authorities to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar, but the request was denied.
The leader further alleged that the Delhi Police had arrested IYC members on "baseless charges".
The Youth Congress said that the leaders were marching from the IYC office towards Raisina Road when the Delhi Police put up barricades and detained several workers, adding that many of their members sustained injuries during the protest and are currently undergoing medical treatment.
Those who participated in the protest also included IYC secretary Srinivas BV, party in-charge Qazi Nizamuddin, Punjab MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh, Odisha Congress in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu, party secretary Abhishek Dutt, and Tauqeer Alam, among others.
A day earlier, the Congress' youth wing members staged a rail blockade at Shivaji Bridge railway station against the arrest of their leaders. Several IYC workers carrying Congress flags and placards stood on the railway tracks in front of a train during the demonstration.
Another senior Congress member said that the protests were driven by concern for the country's interests.
"The prime minister's actions have compromised national priorities at a time when millions are unemployed. His trade and tariff policies have now forced India to buy oil from the United States and Venezuela," he said.
Chib was arrested on Tuesday by the Delhi Police, which described him as the "main conspirator" and "mastermind" behind the February 20 protest at the summit venue.
The IYC workers on February 20 marched inside the Exhibition Hall No 5, wearing or holding white T-shirts with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump printed on them, along with slogans such as "India-US Trade Deal", "Epstein Files" and "PM is compromised", soon resulting in a commotion.
