New Delhi: The shirtless protest by a group of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers during the recent AI Impact Summit has not impressed anyone.
The ruling party in the Centre was obviously up in arms, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi firing a ‘naked’ jibe at the grand old party.
Even the judiciary pulled up Youth Congress workers, some of whom removed their shirts and others revealed slogans on T-shirts like ‘PM is compromised’ and criticism of the India-US trade deal, and shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and government policies.
Coming down heavily on four members of IYC over their “shirtless protest” inside Bharat Mandapam, the Patiala court said that their conduct was not legitimate dissent, but a “blatant assault on public order” that imperiled India’s diplomatic image.
Judicial Magistrate Ravi, who made the observation when the four IYC workers were produced before his court on Saturday, sent the quartet to five days of police custody.
The magistrate said that the alleged actions of the accused “imperil not merely the event’s sanctity but also the Republic’s diplomatic image before foreign stakeholders, rendering it wholly unprotected by constitutional safeguards,” CNN-News18 reported.
According to the court order, the Youth Congress members orchestrated a premeditated intrusion into the high-security precincts of Bharat Mandapam during the AI Summit 2026.
“The accused persons are alleged to have orchestrated a premeditated intrusion into the high-security precincts of Bharat Mandapam during the Al Summit 2026, a premier international conclave hosting global delegates and dignitaries,” the order said.
The police, seeking custody of the arrested activists, told the court that the accused donned T-shirts with provocative slogans, raised slogans, obstructed public servants, and allegedly assaulted police personnel, causing injuries substantiated by medico-legal reports.
“This is a larger conspiracy that has taken inspiration from the Gen Z protests in Nepal. The accused need to be confronted with each other as well as with digital evidence. This is a very important investigation,” police said.
The magistrate concluded that custodial interrogation was essential to unearth a possible larger conspiracy, funding sources, digital evidence and possible absconding associates.
The magistrate said the alleged offences warrant “stringent scrutiny” as they posed a grave threat to public order and state security at an international forum.
