Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib arrested over shirtless protest during AI Impact Summit
Chib was arrested after being grilled for nearly 20 hours, according to reports. He has been booked for criminal conspiracy, voluntarily causing harm to a public servant, obstructing a public servant on duty, and wilful disobedience, they said.
Delhi Police have arrested Indian Youth Congress Chief Uday Bhanu Chib in connection with the shirtless protest during the AI Summit at Bharat Mandapam last week, news agencies reported on Tuesday, quoting officials.
Chib was arrested after being grilled for nearly 20 hours, according to reports. He has been booked for criminal conspiracy, voluntarily causing harm to a public servant, obstructing a public servant on duty, and wilful disobedience, the reports said.
“Delhi Police arrested Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib over shirtless protest at AI Summit,” news agency PTI reported, quoting police officials on Tuesday.
Chib has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 61(2) for criminal conspiracy, 121(1) for voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter a public servant from duty, news agency ANI said.
Chib was produced in Patiala court in the national capital. Delhi police has sought seven days' custody of Udai Bhanu Chib. Delhi police told the court that Chib hatched the conspiracy and provided logistical support to the protestors.
The latest arrest relates to the IYC protest on Friday, in which its members stripped to their waists during the AI Impact India Summit, displaying "Compromised PM" slogans on their bodies. The participants removed their clothing as a specific gesture of political dissent.
In a prior statement, the IYC claimed the protest was directed at a “compromised Prime Minister” who they alleged had devalued national identity during the AI Summit. Security forces detained the participants shortly thereafter.
Delhi police said on Monday that officials have made a fifth arrest in connection with the protest. The fifth person they arrested was identified as Jitendra Yadav, who was held from Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior.
Who is Uday Bhanu Chib?
In September 2024, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge appointed former Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib as the new IYC president. He replaced Srinivas BV as IYC president.
Chib had led the Youth Congress unit in Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, Chib served on the Congress's manifesto committee for the J&K elections.
What happened on Friday at AI Summit?
A group of IYC workers entered the AI Expo Hall, walked with posters, and began chanting slogans. Later, they removed T-shirts.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 was held in Delhi from 16 February to 20 February, marking the first global AI Summit to be hosted in the Global South. The summit attracted government policymakers, industry AI experts, academicians, technology innovators, and civil society representatives from across the world to advance global discussions on artificial intelligence.
While the Congress faced flak over the protest at the event, which hosted dignitaries from around the world, the IYC defended the demonstration and said that “peaceful demonstration is not anti-India”.
On the IYC protest, Chib had said earlier that it was a manifestation of the anger against the Union government from every young person who is unemployed today, and every single one of them knows that our Prime Minister is compromised.”
“Some of our leaders peacefully protested at the AI Summit. The Centre and the BJP are trying to establish a propaganda that this was 'anti-India'. As per my understanding, a peaceful demonstration is not 'anti-India'. By calling anything against the government 'anti-India', can they escape from the issues? The protestors' message was clear that the PM is compromised,” IYC National General Secretary, Shesh Narayan Ojha told news agency ANI on Monday.
(With agency inputs)