New Delhi: Delhi Police Friday arrested four Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers for staging a shirtless protest at the AI Impact Summit venue in New Delhi, with officials saying a wider conspiracy angle in the case is being probed.
An FIR has been registered at Tilak Marg police station invoking serious provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including criminal conspiracy, hurt to a public servant, assault on and obstruction of a public servant in discharge of duty, disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant, unlawful assembly, and common intention.
Besides the four arrests, seven other IYC workers are under the police radar in connection with the case, sources said.
Those arrested have been identified as Krishna Hari, national secretary of the Indian Youth Congress from Bihar; Kundan Yadav, IYC state secretary in Bihar; Ajay Kumar, head of IYC’s Uttar Pradesh unit; and Narasimha Yadav from Telangana, a senior police officer said.
Delhi Police is also questioning IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib at the Parliament Street police station, and a hunt is on to arrest the remaining agitators, he said.
A group of IYC workers on Friday staged a dramatic shirtless protest at an exhibition hall during the AI Impact Summit, walking around holding T-shirts with slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal printed on them, before being whisked away by security personnel present at the venue.
Delhi Police initially detained around 10 IYC workers for the protest, which triggered a political slugfest with the BJP calling it a “shameful act to tarnish India’s image on the global stage”, and the IYC defending it as a “peaceful” demonstration aimed at safeguarding national interests.
“The Indian Youth Congress on Friday staged a protest with around 15 people entering the lobby area of Hall No. 5 and raising slogans after removing T-shirts worn under shirts,” ACP (New Delhi) Devesh Mahla said.
“The four arrested accused will be produced before the Patiala House Court. Several serious sections have been invoked in the FIR,” another police officer said.
The accused allegedly engaged in a protracted scuffle with security personnel and police staff deployed at the venue, officials said, adding that some police personnel sustained minor injuries.
Investigators are examining whether there was any larger conspiracy behind the incident.
According to police sources, the protesters allegedly registered online to obtain QR codes to enter the venue, Bharat Mandapam, before staging the protest inside Hall No. 5.
A few protesters got into heated arguments with some of the attendees before being escorted out by security personnel.
Sources claimed that some of the protesters also manhandled police personnel on duty, leading to the addition of stringent sections, some of which are non-bailable in nature.
The accused had initially planned to paste printed stickers on black umbrellas and sneak them into the Bharat Mandapam, sources said.
“However, they later felt that the black umbrellas might draw the attention of the security personnel manning the gates, so they changed their plan and got the printed stickers placed on T-shirts instead,” a source said.
Raids are being conducted to trace and apprehend the remaining protesters, officials said, adding that police are scanning more than 15 video clips and CCTV footage to identify others involved.
Sources said some names have emerged during questioning of the arrested accused, and police are working on those leads.
PTI