IYC stages protest in Delhi after arrest of chief Uday Bhanu Chib; heavy security deployed

New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) Amid slogans of "Death of democracy", the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers on Tuesday staged a protest outside their office here following the arrest of their president, Uday Bhanu Chib, as heavy security was deployed in the area.

Barricades were put up, and police personnel and paramilitary forces were stationed outside the office to prevent escalation.

Workers alleged they were manhandled while standing near the barricades.

"We were only standing at the barricades. They pulled me so badly that I have been injured...Until our workers and our president are released, we will keep fighting," a detained worker told PTI.

Another protester said, "It is our right to protest. We are not allowed to speak anywhere, so where do we put our points? We will fight for the truth. We will walk on the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi and fight for justice." Protesters raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri during the demonstration.

The protest comes after Delhi Police arrested Chib for the shirtless protest staged by a group of youth wing members during the AI Impact Summit held in the national capital last week. With his arrest, the total number of people held in the case has risen to eight.

Earlier, police had arrested seven IYC workers, including three from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh — Jitendra Yadav, Raj Gujjar and Ajay Kumar. In addition, IYC's Uttar Pradesh general secretary, Ritik alias Monty Shukla, was detained in Lalitpur.

The incident took place when around 10 IYC workers staged a brief protest inside Hall No. 5 of Bharat Mandapam, raising slogans against Modi. The protesters were seen holding or wearing white T-shirts bearing images of Modi and US President Donald Trump, along with slogans such as "India US Trade Deal", "Epstein Files" and "PM is compromised", leading to a brief commotion at the venue.

They were later detained and taken to Tilak Marg police station. A senior police officer had said that no one would be allowed to breach law and order.

The AI Impact Summit, held from February 16 to February 20, was inaugurated by Modi and attended by several heads of state, global AI leaders, academicians, researchers and technology executives. PTI SGV AMJ AMJ