New Delhi

The Patiala House Court on Saturday remanded four Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers to five days of police custody in connection with a protest held during the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam.

The accused—Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar and Narsingh—were arrested after allegedly staging a protest inside the summit venue on Friday while wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan “India–US Trade Deal Compromised”.

The court dismissed the bail applications of all four accused, observing that the matter was at a crucial initial stage of investigation. It cited the possibility of the accused fleeing justice and tampering with evidence, terming the bail pleas premature.

Delhi Police submitted that the accused raised anti-national slogans in the presence of international leaders and dignitaries with the intention of defaming the country at a global forum. Police further claimed that the mode of protest followed a “Gen-Z style demonstration” and disrupted official proceedings.

A case has been registered against the accused under sections related to obstructing public servants from performing official duties, assault on public servants, hate speech and criminal conspiracy.

Judicial Magistrate First Class Ravi granted five days of police custody after hearing submissions from the prosecution and the defence. The police said custodial interrogation was required to uncover the alleged conspiracy, identify other individuals involved who fled the scene, recover mobile phones, examine electronic evidence and investigate possible funding links.

Opposing the remand, defence counsel argued that the accused were office-bearers of an opposition political party and were exercising their democratic right to protest. They contended that the demonstration was peaceful and that no video evidence showed violence or aggression. The defence also maintained that none of the alleged offences carried punishment exceeding seven years and that custodial remand was unnecessary.

The prosecution, however, maintained that the protest was carefully planned, with accused persons coming from different states and printing coordinated T-shirts. It further claimed that three policemen sustained injuries while attempting to apprehend the protesters.

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After considering the submissions, the court allowed police custody and rejected bail, holding that further investigation was necessary to ascertain the full scope of the alleged conspiracy.