New Delhi

Congress workers staged protests across several states on Tuesday against the arrest of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Uday Bhanu Chib, who has been remanded to four days of police custody in connection with a protest at the AI Impact Summit.

In the national capital, members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, demonstrated against what they described as arbitrary arrests of Youth Congress leaders.

Recently appointed NSUI President Vinod Jhakar alleged that the protest by IYC workers had been peaceful and accused authorities of acting in an undemocratic manner. He said the Youth Congress would continue nationwide demonstrations until their leaders are released.

In Rajasthan, Youth Congress members led by state president and Sangaria MLA Abhimanyu Poonia held a foot march in Jaipur from the Congress office to the BJP state headquarters. Similar protests were reported in Kolkata.

Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi expressed support for the Youth Congress workers. Addressing a Kisan Mahachaupal in Bhopal, Gandhi described IYC members as “babbar-sher” (lion-hearted) and urged them not to be intimidated. He praised their contributions to India’s development and criticised the central government’s policies.

The developments follow a decision by the Patiala House Court in Delhi to grant four-day police custody of Chib to the Delhi Police. The police alleged that he was the main organiser of the “shirtless” protest at the AI Impact Summit and claimed the case involves issues related to national security and sovereignty. Investigators had initially sought seven days of custody, but the court granted four days after hearing arguments from both sides.

The protest took place at Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where Youth Congress members removed their shirts displaying slogans reading “Compromised PM” as a mark of dissent against the India-US trade deal. Seven party leaders were arrested in connection with the incident.

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The issue has triggered a fresh political confrontation between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress, with protests expected to continue in the coming days.