New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested Indian Youth Congress (IYC) National President Uday Bhanu Chib in connection with a high-profile protest held during the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The arrest, which follows days after Youth Congress workers staged a demonstration at Bharat Mandapam, has triggered a sharp political backlash from the Congress leadership, who have labeled the police action as “dictatorial.”
The controversy stems from a protest last Friday, where IYC members raised slogans and displayed messages criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent diplomatic and trade decisions. According to party releases, the protesters claimed the Prime Minister had “compromised the nation’s identity” and interests, specifically pointing to recent trade frameworks with the United States. During the demonstration at the high-security Bharat Mandapam venue, several members removed their shirts to reveal slogans reading “Compromised PM.”
Reacting to the arrest, senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel issued a scathing statement, characterizing the move as an attack on democratic values. “The government is forgetting that in a democracy, young people raising their voices and asking questions is not a crime it is the strongest weapon of democracy,” Baghel said. He maintained that the protest was peaceful and legitimate, demanding the immediate release of Chib and all other detained workers.
Before his arrest, Uday Bhanu Chib had clarified that the IYC was not opposed to the AI Summit itself, but rather to the underlying “anti-India trade agreements” and the “unheard suffering of the youth” regarding unemployment. “‘PM is compromised’ is not just a slogan, but the anger of millions of unemployed youth. This trade deal with the US is a betrayal of the interests of our farmers,” Chib had stated during the summit protest.
The Delhi Police have not yet detailed the specific charges, but the arrest marks a significant escalation in the ongoing tension between the central government and the opposition regarding India’s international trade policy. The Congress party has vowed to continue its fight against what it calls “police repression,” asserting that it will not be silenced on issues of national interest.
