New Delhi: Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Uday Bhanu Chib in connection with a case filed against members of the organisation for holding a ‘shirtless’ protest at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. With this the total number of arrests in the case has gone up to eight, reports said.
Police had earlier detained seven IYC workers, including Jitendra Yadav, Raj Gujjar, and Ajay Kumar from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, plus Uttar Pradesh general secretary Ritik alias Monty Shukla from Lalitpur. The Friday protest at Bharat Mandapam involved members marching into Exhibition Hall No. 5, shedding jackets to reveal white T-shirts emblazoned with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, alongside slogans like “India-US Trade Deal,” “Epstein Files,” and “PM is compromised,” sparking immediate commotion.
An FIR at Tilak Marg police station invoked Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provisions for criminal conspiracy, hurt to public servants, assault and obstruction of public servants on duty, disobedience to public orders, unlawful assembly, and common intention. Additional sections 196 (promoting enmity between groups and acts against harmony) and 197 (assertions prejudicial to national integration) were later added, each carrying up to three years’ imprisonment.
Chib faced over 15-20 hours of grilling before formal arrest on February 24, 2026.
The police said they are probing an alleged “wider conspiracy angle” in connection with the protests at the summit held from February 16 to 20 at Bharat Mandapam, which drew global attention.
“In a country where the media, the system, and the prime minister himself have already been compromised, what platform remains to raise a voice against it? If we protest on the streets, we are stopped. Under the guise of IT Rules, social media posts against the government are taken down. The media has become the government’s mouthpiece. So, what avenue remains open to us?” the Youth Congress asked.
BJP hit back hard, labeling it a “shirtless ruckus” to sabotage India’s global image, directed by Rahul Gandhi. They staged nationwide protests demanding his apology.
