'Peaceful protest our right': Rahul backs IYC chief, calls arrest undemocratic

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday backed Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers who staged a protest at the India AI Impact Summit, hours after Delhi Police arrested IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib in connection with the demonstration.

Chib was arrested in connection with last week’s shirtless protest inside Bharat Mandapam, where Youth Congress members disrupted proceedings at the summit.

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Responding to the arrest, Gandhi said peaceful protest was part of India’s historic legacy and a democratic right of every citizen. He praised the Youth Congress members for “fearlessly raising their voice in national interest” against what he termed a “compromised” leadership.

In a post on X, Gandhi said he was proud of the workers who protested against the India-US interim trade deal, alleging it compromised national interests. He claimed the agreement would harm farmers and the textile sector and put India’s data in the hands of the United States.

शांतिपूर्ण विरोध हमारी ऐतिहासिक धरोहर है। यह हमारे खून में है और हर भारतीय का लोकतांत्रिक अधिकार है।

मुझे युवा कांग्रेस के अपने बब्बर शेर साथियों पर गर्व है, जिन्होंने ‘COMPROMISED PM’ के खिलाफ निडर होकर देश के हित में आवाज़ उठाई है।

अमेरिका के साथ हुए Trade Deal में देश के…

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 24, 2026

He described the arrest of Chib and other workers as proof of “dictatorial tendencies and cowardice”.

“The Congress party and I stand firmly with our brave colleagues. Showing the mirror of truth to those in power is not a crime, it is patriotism,” Gandhi said, adding that truth and the Constitution were on their side.

Following Chib’s arrest, police heightened security across key locations in the capital, anticipating further demonstrations. With his detention, the total number of people held in the case has risen to eight.

Earlier, seven Youth Congress workers, including three from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, identified as Jitendra Yadav, Raj Gujjar and Ajay Kumar, were arrested. Uttar Pradesh Youth Congress general secretary Ritik alias Monty Shukla was also detained from Lalitpur.

During the protest inside Hall No. 5 of the venue, workers removed their shirts to reveal T-shirts bearing slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal before being escorted out by security personnel.

Police said the accused had registered online and used QR codes to gain entry into the summit.

The incident sparked a political row, with the BJP terming it a “shameful act to tarnish India’s image on the global stage”, while the Youth Congress maintained it was a peaceful demonstration aimed at safeguarding national interests.