New Delhi: Members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) had conducted a recce of the Bharat Mandapam and their shirtless protest at the AI Summit was a “premeditated intrusion”, the Delhi Police informed a court explaining the grounds for arrest, ThePrint has learnt.
The Delhi Police have so far arrested seven people for the protest, including IYC members Jitendra Yadav, Raj Gujar, and Ajay Kumar, who were taken into custody Monday from Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior.
Previously, police arrested Krishna Hari, 35, a resident of Bihar and IYC national coordinator; Kundan Yadav, 33, a resident of Bihar and IYC state coordinator; Ajay Kumar, a resident of UP and IYC state vice president; and Narsimha Yadav, a resident of Telengana and national coordinator of IYC.
The three arrested Monday have been sent to police custody for three days. The investigators also detained Monty Shukla, IYC general secretary. Questioning is underway. IYC national coordinator Uday Bhanu Chib was also questioned in connection with the matter Monday.
The FIR was registered at Tilak Marg Police Station under BNS sections 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 121(1) (voluntarily causing hurt), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant(, 195(1) (assaulting or obstructing public servant when suppressing riot), 221 (obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions), 223(A) (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant), 190 (every member of an unlawful assembly in prosecution of the common object), 196 (promoting enmity, hatred, or disharmony between different groups based on religion, race, language, or caste), 197 (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 3(5) (common intention).
The Delhi Police also informed the court that the police are looking into others who are absconding, especially their digital footprints and financial trails.
The investigators further informed the court that the accused persons, in a pre-planned conspiracy, gathered wearing T-shirts with the slogan ‘India-US Trade Deal Compromised’, raised provocative and anti-national slogans, created public disorder, obstructed and assaulted police officials, resulting in injuries to two ASI level officers.
The police had sought custody of the arrested accused “to unearth the larger conspiracy including funding and organisational support, to recover and analyse digital evidence from mobile phones, social media chats and emails used”.
According to Delhi Police, officials found T-shirts and posters used in the Indian Youth Congress protest at the AI Summit at Bharat Mandapam from the car of Indian Youth Congress leader Krishna Hari.
“The accused persons are alleged to have orchestrated a ‘premeditated intrusion’ into the high-security precincts of Bharat Mandapam during the Al Summit 2026, a premier international conclave hosting global delegates and dignitaries, wherein they donned provocative T-shirts bearing offensive slogans such as ‘India-US Trade Deal Compromised’, and vociferously raised incendiary chants,” the Delhi Police submission said, according to Delhi Police sources.
“Such conduct palpably transcends the ambit of legitimate dissent, metamorphosing into a blatant assault on public order. It imperils not merely the event’s sanctity but also the Republic’s diplomatic image before foreign stakeholders, rendering it wholly unprotected by constitutional safeguards,” the judge observed in its order Saturday, according to sources.
“The contention that the accused’s actions constitute protected dissent under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution merits rejection. While the right to freedom of speech and expression, including peaceful assembly and protest, forms the cornerstone of democratic discourse, it remains circumscribed by reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interests of sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, or decency, as enshrined under Article 19(2) and (3),” the judge observed in the order, rejecting bail application of IYC functionaries Saturday.
While sources in the Delhi Police clarified that Chib has not been detained or arrested, members of the IYC continued to protest.
In a statement, the IYC said it strongly condemned the arbitrary arrest of its national president, and “the continuing pattern of coercive and excessive police action that has unfolded over the past several days”.
Uday Bhanu Chib had already joined the investigation and was fully cooperating with authorities. “There was no evasion, no refusal to appear, and no legal justification warranting custodial arrest. Yet, he has been taken into custody,” the statement said.
“Shockingly, notices under Section 41A CrPC—which are meant to prevent unnecessary arrests—are being served after arrest. This reverses the very purpose of the safeguard and renders statutory protections meaningless. Simultaneously, families of Youth Congress office bearers have been subjected to midnight pick-ups and prolonged detention inside police stations without clear grounds or transparency. Such conduct appears designed not to aid investigation, but to intimidate and psychologically pressure,” the statement said.
The IYC says, more than 300 personnel from Delhi Police and CRPF have been stationed around their premises.
“Such disproportionate deployment creates an atmosphere of siege and intimidation rather than lawful policing. The scale of force used is excessive and unjustified, particularly considering the peaceful and political nature of the protest,” the statement said.
Sheh Narayan Ojha (IYC general secretary), said that Uday Bhanu Chib has fully cooperated with the investigation and has nothing to hide.
“If standing with the youth of this country and raising their issues is being treated as a crime, then we are prepared to face it. But intimidation will not silence democratic voices. The Constitution guarantees our right to dissent, and we will continue to exercise it peacefully and lawfully,” the IYC statement said.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)