National, Feb 24: Delhi Police on Tuesday, February 24, arrested Uday Bhanu Chib, National President of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), in connection with a protest held at Bharat Mandapam during the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
According to police officials, Chib was detained over demonstrations organised by the Indian Youth Congress at the high-profile global summit venue in the national capital. The protest reportedly took place on Friday, when Youth Congress members raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he had “compromised the nation’s identity,” as mentioned in a party release.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026, hosted at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, is a major international event centred on artificial intelligence governance and innovation. The protest by Youth Congress workers during the proceedings drew the attention of security agencies, given the presence of high-level participants at the summit.
Following the arrest, senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel criticised the action, describing it as “dictatorial.” In a strongly worded statement, he termed the arrest illegal and accused the Centre of attempting to curb dissent.
“I strongly condemn the illegal arrest of IYC National President Brother Uday Bhanu Chib ji and other young comrades by the Delhi Police. The ‘dictatorial’ government is forgetting that in a democracy, young people raising their voice, asking questions, and protesting is not a crime — it is the strongest weapon of democracy,” Baghel said in a post.
He further claimed that Youth Congress workers had carried out a peaceful demonstration without violence or provocation, asserting that they aimed to highlight what he described as “the Prime Minister’s compromises and the unheard suffering of the youth.” Baghel alleged that the government was resorting to “police repression” to stifle democratic expression and demanded the immediate release of Chib and other detained workers, along with the withdrawal of what he called “false charges.”
