Shirtless Youth Congress protestors at Bharat Mandapam face legal action

Delhi Police initiated legal action against Youth Congress members for a 'shirtless' protest at the AI Impact Summit in Bharat Mandapam. Four were detained. The IYC defended the act as a protest for unemployed youth, while the BJP slammed it.

Police take legal action

The Delhi Police have intiated legal action against cadre of the Youth Congress who were protesting 'shirtless' at the Bharat Manadapam on Friday. Additional Commissioner of Police Devesh Mahla said the incident took place at around 12:30 pm and that the protestors had registered for the summit online. He said the protestors were wearing sweaters and jackets over objectionable T-shirts. Near Hall Number 5, one of them removed his outer clothing and waved the T-shirt in protest. The official added that appropriate legal action is being taken and that those detained are being identified.

"The incident occurred around 12:30 PM. They registered online and entered through QR code scanning. They were wearing sweaters and jackets on top and a T-shirt underneath. Near Hall 5, they removed their sweaters and jackets. They protested while waving their T-shirts. We are taking appropriate legal action against them. We detained four of them and are identifying the rest.", the additional CP told ANI. "The people detained have been identified as Krishna Hari. He is the National Secretary, age 35, a resident of Bihar. The second one's name is Kundan Yadav. He is also from Bihar. The third one's name is Ajay Kumar and the fourth one's name is Narasimha Yadav. He is the National Coordinator of the Indian Youth Congres," he added.

Youth Congress defends protest

Indian Youth Congress National President Uday Bhanu Chib defended party workers who staged a protest at the shirtless protest at Bharat Mandapam during the AI Impact Summit today, saying the demonstration reflected the anger of unemployed youth across the country.

Speaking to ANI, Chib said, "Today, Youth Congress members went to the AI Summit and raised slogans, 'PM is compromised.' This anger isn't just from our Youth Congress members. It's from every young person who is unemployed today, and every single one of them knows that our Prime Minister is compromised." He alleged that the trade deal with the United States would hurt farmers and citizens. "This trade deal with the US, we all know, will harm our farmers and people. Only America will benefit. It's our duty to raise their voice. Our country has democracy. We can hold peaceful protests anywhere," he said.

Reacting to the Delhi Police statement that legal steps were being taken, Chib said the party would not be deterred. "Our Youth Congress colleagues are Rahul Gandhi's soldiers. They won't be intimidated. When there wasn't an FIR against Rahul Gandhi, the ED case dragged on for so many years. He was summoned for questioning so many times," he said. He accused the BJP of targeting opposition leaders and asserted that the Youth Congress would continue its protests. "The BJP can go to any lengths, but we are soldiers of the Constitution, soldiers of Rahul Gandhi. We won't back down. We will raise our voice for the youth of the country," Chib added.

BJP slams 'characterless' protest

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Friday lambasted the Congress party for its protest against the AI Impact Summit, branding it as "characterless, brainless, and emotionless," even as Indian Youth Congress activists staged a dramatic shirtless demonstration at Bharat Mandapam, targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the AI Summit. Poonawalla accused the Congress of undermining national progress and said this was a protest against national achievements. "Congress has once again proven that for them, AI isn't Ambitious India, Artificial Intelligence, Aspirational India. For them, AI is anti-India. This isn't the INC, this is the ANC, the anti-National Congress. The AI Summit is being praised worldwide. From President Macron to the United Nations Secretary General, to top tech company honchos, from Sam Altman to Sundar Pichai, everyone is praising it. Even Shashi Tharoor said the AI Summit was excellent. But at Rahul Gandhi's behest, the Congress party is protesting; it is a characterless, brainless, emotionless protest. This isn't a protest against the BJP, it's not a protest against the PM, it's a protest against India's achievements," Poonawalla added.

Earlier the Youth Congress cadres held a 'shirtless' protest outside the summit venue, raising slogans of "PM is compromised" and alleging that the government's policies were harming national interests. Police later detained several protesters and said legal action was being initiated.

In a statement, the Indian Youth Congress said its members were protesting against what it termed a compromised leadership at the summit. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)