Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Feb 20: Around ten members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) were detained after staging a brief shirtless protest during the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital.
According to police sources, the protesters entered Exhibition Hall No. 5 of the summit venue wearing or carrying white T-shirts printed with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump. The T-shirts also bore slogans such as “India-US Trade Deal”, “Epstein Files” and “PM is compromised”, triggering commotion inside the hall.
Eyewitnesses said heated exchanges broke out between some participants at the international event and the protesting youth workers. Security personnel swiftly intervened, escorted the protesters out of the exhibition area and later took them to the Tilak Marg police station.
A senior police officer stated that the individuals were immediately removed to prevent any disruption to law and order, adding that no breach of security would be tolerated at an event of such global significance.
Sharing a video of the protest on social media, the Indian Youth Congress defended its action, claiming it was compelled to raise its voice inside the summit venue. The organisation questioned what platform remained to express dissent, alleging that street protests were curtailed and online posts critical of the government were removed under IT Rules.
“We are not against the AI Summit. We are against compromises being made with India’s interests,” the IYC said, alleging that farmers’ concerns were being ignored, trade agreements were harming national interests, and youth unemployment remained unaddressed. The post concluded with the slogan “Inquilab Zindabad.”
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly condemned the protest. BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, in a post on X, criticised the Congress party’s conduct and accused its workers of raising objectionable slogans at the summit. He further alleged that the protest was carried out at the behest of Rahul Gandhi and demanded an apology from the Congress leadership.
Further investigation into the incident is underway.