New Delhi: Delhi Police on Monday arrested Jitendra Yadav from Gwalior in connection with the Youth Congress protest at Bharat Mandapam during the AI Impact Summit.This is the fifth arrest made by Delhi Police in connection with the incident.Earlier, police arrested another youth conference protester while tracking down the remaining protesters.According to Delhi Police, officials recovered T-shirts and posters used in the Indian Youth Congress’ AI Summit protest at Bharat Mandapam from Indian Youth Congress leader Krishna Hari’s car.On Saturday, a Patiala court sent four accused — Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar and Narasimha Yadav — to police custody for five days under provisions including Section 121 of the BNS (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from service) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), offenses that carry a sentence of more than three years.While the court was hearing the case, it described the “shirtless” protest as a “flagrant assault on public order” that endangered India’s diplomatic image.“Such behavior clearly goes beyond the scope of legitimate opposition, and turns into a blatant assault on public order. It not only jeopardizes the sanctity of the event, but also exposes the diplomatic image of the Republic before foreign stakeholders, making it completely unprotected by constitutional guarantees,” the judge said.
“Gandhi aur Nanji Rajneeti”Prime Minister Narendra Modi also joined the chorus of criticism against the Congress party over its ‘shirtless’ protest, accusing the grand old party of turning a global event into an arena for its ‘Gandhi aur naang’ politics.In his speech after getting off the Namo Bharat train, the Prime Minister said: “The Congress has turned a global event into an arena for its dirty and shameful politics.”Intensifying his attack on the largest opposition party, he added: “I ask the leaders of Congress – the nation already knows what you really look like. What is the need for more nudity?”In the wake of the incident, the Congress party faced widespread backlash, including criticism from some of its allies and other opposition leaders, who called the act “inappropriate,” as well as sharp reactions from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.Akhilesh Yadav, a key ally of the Congress, also condemned the protest, saying: “They should have refrained from doing something that would bring shame to our country in front of foreign delegates and world representatives.”Topless protest youth conferenceOn Friday, a group of Youth Congress activists held a high-profile protest at the Bharat Mandapam venue. The accused displayed T-shirts with pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, along with slogans against the government and the Indo-US trade deal, and participated in a scuffle with security personnel.The protest came on the final day of the five-day summit, which brought together world leaders and technology experts to discuss developments and the future of artificial intelligence.
