Townhall Times, New Delhi
Reporter: Bhavika Kalra
By: Political & Crime Bureau | New Delhi
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 was supposed to be India’s “Global South” flex in the tech world. Instead, it’s ended with the IYC National President, Uday Bhanu Chib, in 4-day police custody and a charge sheet that reads more like a terror plot than a student protest.
Today, the Delhi Police didn’t just add “rioting” charges; they’ve effectively accused the Congress youth wing of an international conspiracy to humiliate the Republic.
1. The Arrest: Uday Bhanu Chib Goes to Custody
After being grilled for nearly 20 hours at the Tilak Marg station, Uday Bhanu Chib was officially arrested this morning. By this afternoon, the Patiala House Court ignored the Congress lawyers’ pleas for bail and handed him over to the Crime Branch until February 28.
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The ‘Mastermind’ Tag: Cops told the court that Chib didn’t just “support” the protest; he “orchestrated” it. They allege he coordinated the “Trojan Horse” entry where workers from Bihar, UP, and Telangana used online QR codes to bypass the three-tier security at Bharat Mandapam.
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The Logistical Trail: Police are now hunting for the printing press that manufactured the custom T-shirts featuring PM Modi and the “Compromised” slogans, claiming this proves “premeditated intent.”
2. The Legal Escalation: Why ‘Rioting’?
The most controversial move today was the addition of Sections 191(1) and 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)—the new laws for rioting and provocation.
The Police Argument: Special CP Devesh Srivastava didn’t hold back. He called the protesters “aggressive elements” who didn’t just shout slogans but physically scuffled with security, causing “grievous injuries” to police personnel.
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The ‘Nepal’ Spectre: In a bizarre twist, the police cited the “Gen Z protests of Nepal” in court, suggesting this shirtless tactic was a “foreign inspired” attempt to create visual chaos that would go viral globally and trigger mass unrest.
3. Political ‘War’ on X (Formerly Twitter)
The fallout has split the country’s leadership down the middle.
| The Player | the Take |
| Rahul Gandhi | Praised the arrested workers as his “Babbar Sher” (Lion) comrades, calling the protest “patriotism” in the face of a “compromised” government. |
| BJP (Pradeep Bhandari) | Labeled the act “Urban Naxalism” and a “shameful stunt” designed to sabotage India’s diplomatic image before foreign guests. |
| Uday Bhanu’s Mother | In a viral video, she dared the government, asking, “How many days will you keep them in jail?” |
4. The AI Summit: The Context You Missed
While the shirtless guys got the headlines, the protest was actually about two things:
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The India-US Trade Deal: The IYC claims the “interim deal” is a sell-out of Indian data to US tech giants.
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The “Epstein” Narrative: The T-shirts mentioned the “Epstein Files,” a reference to ongoing social media rumors involving Indian ministers—a move the court called “palpably assaulting public order.”
[Image: A split-screen showing the polished AI Summit stage on one side and the chaotic, shirtless IYC protest being dragged away on the other.]
The Status Right Now
The Crime Branch’s Inter-State Cell has taken over. They aren’t just looking at the 8 people arrested; they are looking for “financial trails.” They want to know who paid for the travel of these workers from remote corners of Bihar and Telangana to Delhi.
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