IYC chief Uday Chib arrested over shirtless protest

NewsGate Press Network

The shirtless protests by Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers during the AI Summit has now escalated to the arrest of its chief Uday Bhanu Chib.

On Tuesday morning, that is on the 24^th of February 2026, the chief of the youth wing of the opposition Congress Party was formally arrested by the Delhi Police after a prolonged 15 hour questioning at the Tilak Marg Police Station in the National Capital.

Remember, last Friday during the AI Summit a shirtless protests was staged at the Bharat Mandapam by IYC against the policies of the Modi government.

Eight IYC workers have been arrested by the police after analysing CCTV footage from recorded during the AI Summit.

Both the Leaders of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have denounced the move to arrest Uday Bhanu Chib stating that ‘protests is a sign of a healthy democracy and not an act of anti-nationalism.’

Among the eight arrested, three were picked up from Gwalior and one from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Security has been tightened around the Tilak Marg police station, where Chib is presently held, while barricades have been put up at the strategic points, with anti-riot teams on standby.

Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) and additional companies of paramilitary forces have also been placed on alert to respond to any law and order situation, officials said.

Senior officers have directed the field staff to ensure that traffic movement remains smooth.

“Our priority is to maintain public order and ensure that daily life is not disrupted. Preventive measures may be invoked if any group attempts to assemble without permission,” a senior officer said.

The Delhi Police had slapped additional sections on arrested IYC workers under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) which included among others charges under 196 (promoting enmity between different groups and acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 197 (assertions prejudicial to national integration), have been invoked in the FIR. Both carry a jail term of up to three years.