Indian Youth Congress workers stage a protest during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Delhi police on Tuesday (February 24, 2026) arrested four more Indian Youth Congress (IYC) members and added charges of rioting in the FIR related to the “shirtless” protest on February 20 at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.In response, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “We will continue to fight and continue our struggle against those who have mortgaged our country.”IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib, whom the police arrested on Monday and dubbed the “mastermind” behind the protest at Bharat Mandapam, was on Tuesday (February 24) remanded by a court for four days of police custody. Judicial Magistrate First Class Ravi also directed the police to supply a copy of the FIR to Mr. Chib and the other accused, rejecting the police’s claim that the case was “sensitive”, stating that the protest lacked the hallmarks of terrorism or insurgency.A total of eight Youth Congress members of the Congress’s youth wing have been arrested for their “shirts off” protest over the India-U.S. trade deal at the high-security event. On February 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Opposition party over its “nangi rajneeti (naked politics)” in front of industry leaders and termed it an example of the Congress’s ideological bankruptcy that had lowered the dignity of a global event.‘Aggressive elements’Addressing a press conference, Special Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Devesh Chandra Srivastava called the protesters “aggressive elements” and said the protest was part of a “deep-rooted conspiracy” to breach security at an event where several dignitaries, delegates and visitors were present.“A premeditated attempt was made to breach the security cordon in the presence of dignitaries, delegates and visitors attending the international event. The aggressive elements were immediately overpowered. During the process of restraining them, some police personnel deployed on duty sustained injuries,” said the senior officer.CCTV footage indicates that many IYC members conducted reconnaissance of the area before staging the demonstration, the senior officer said. To identify all the accused and “unearth the entire conspiracy”, the Delhi police are carrying out raids and coordinating with police departments from other States, Mr. Srivastava said.Sections 191(1) (rioting) and 192 (provocation with intent to cause riot) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) have been added to the FIR, in which the police have invoked various other BNS sections, including 196 (promoting enmity between different groups and acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 197 (assertions prejudicial to national integration), aside from charges of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly and common intention.Meeting with L-GEarlier in the day, the Congress staged a demonstration in Delhi against the arrests of its members and met Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena, to whom they submitted a letter stating that the police action lacked “proportionality” and calling for the “protection of democratic political expression”.In a post on X, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh alleged that Mr. Modi is “clearly rattled by the disclosures in the Epstein files and the mounting anger of farmers due to his betrayal of their interests and his surrender to [U.S.] President Trump on the trade deal”.“The PM is desperate to divert attention from the uncomfortable truths about him and his regime that the people of our country have recognised,” he added.Not informed: H.P. CMMeanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday slammed the Delhi police’s “midnight raid” at Himachal Sadan in New Delhi in connection with the February 20 protest and said that neither he nor the resident commissioner was informed about the action.According to sources, a police team visited Himachal Sadan on Saturday night after receiving information that some protesters were staying there.(With inputs from PTI) Published - February 25, 2026 01:20 am IST
