The police in Delhi on Monday called Indian Youth Congress National President Uday Bhanu Chib for questioning at Tilak Marg Police Station on Monday in connection with a protest at the India AI Impact Summit, The Indian Express reported.
While Chib told ANI that he had been summoned for questioning, the Congress’ youth wing posted on social media later that he was “unlawfully detained”.
The police in Delhi also claimed to have arrested another member of the Indian Youth Congress from Gwalior in connection with the protest, The Indian Express reported.
This was the fifth arrest in the case. Four other party workers were sent to five days of police custody on Saturday.
On Friday, at least 11 persons staged a protest during the summit.
Following this, the Delhi Police registered a first information report under sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita pertaining to criminal conspiracy, causing hurt to a public servant, assault on a public servant, disobedience of an order and unlawful assembly, The Indian Express reported.
The group had shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held placards alleging that he was “compromised”.
On Saturday, the Delhi Police told the court that the protest was part of a “larger conspiracy” and claimed it was inspired by Nepal’s recent Gen-Z led agitation. It had alleged that the demonstration was a pre-planned attempt to disrupt the high-profile event at Bharat Mandapam.
The five-day India AI Impact Summit began on February 16 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. It was promoted as a major gathering on artificial intelligence in the Global South, attended by 20 world leaders, technology executives and exhibitors from 30 countries.
On Monday, Congress MP KC Venugopal condemned the detention of Youth Congress members, including Chib.
“This detention is completely illegal,” Venugopal said. “We demand that they all be released immediately and all charges be dropped.”
He added that: “This government forgets that protests are the heart of democracy, and not a crime.”
On Friday, the Bharatiya Janata Party described the protest as a “national shame”.
On Sunday, Modi accused the Youth Congress of turning an international event into a platform for “gandi aur nangi [dirty and shameless]” politics.
You’ve read Scroll.
Now help sustain it
Scroll is funded by readers, not corporate owners. If you believe our work matters, support our newsroom. Become a member today!
We’re not driven by clicks or corporate interests – just honest, independent reporting. Keep us going. Support Scroll today!