Delhi Police arrested Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chiba in connection with a shirtless protest during the AI Summit at the Bharat Mandapam last week, news agencies reported, citing officials, on Tuesday.
Chib was arrested after being grilled for nearly 20 hours, according to reports. He was charged with criminal conspiracy, voluntary injury to a public servant, obstructing a public servant in the line of duty and willful disobedience, they said.
“Delhi Police arrested Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chiba over his shirtless protest at the AI summit,” PTI news agency reported on Tuesday, citing police officials.
Chib will appear in court later in the day.
The latest arrests are related to the IYC’s protest on Friday, in which its members stripped to the waist and carried “Compromised PM” slogans on their bodies during the AI Impact India summit. Participants undressed as a specific gesture of political dissent.
In an earlier statement, the IYC claimed that the protest was directed against a “compromised prime minister” who they said had devalued the national identity during the AI summit. The security forces detained the participants shortly afterwards.
Delhi Police said on Monday that officials had made a fifth arrest in connection with the protest. The fifth person they arrested was identified as Jitendra Yadav, who was arrested at Gwalior from Madhya Pradesh.
Who is Uday Bhanu Chib?
In September 2024, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appointed former Jammu and Kashmir Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chiba as the new president of the IYC. He replaced Srinivas BV as the President of IYC.
Chib led the Youth Congress unit in Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, Chib served on the Congress manifesto committee for the J&K elections.
What happened at the AI Summit on Friday?
A group of IYC workers entered the AI Expo Hall, walked around with posters and started chanting slogans. Later they took off their shirts.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026, the first global AI summit to be held in the Global South, is being held in Delhi from February 16 to 20. The summit attracted government policymakers, AI experts, academics, technology innovators and civil society representatives from around the world to advance global discussions on AI.
While the Congress faced flak for protesting at an event that hosted dignitaries from around the world, the IYC defended the demonstration, saying “a peaceful demonstration is not against India”.
At the IYC protest, Chib had earlier said that it was a display of anger towards the Union Government from every youth who is unemployed today and every one of them knows that our Prime Minister is compromised.
“Some of our leaders protested peacefully at the AI Summit. The Center and the BJP are trying to plant propaganda that it was ‘anti-India’. My understanding is that a peaceful demonstration is not ‘anti-India’. By labeling anything against the government as ‘anti-India’, can they escape trouble? The message of the protesters was clear,” OjYC General Secretary General Shesh Narayan OjYha told national news agency ANI on Monday.
