3 more Congress workers held in AI summit protest case

Three more Congress workers have been taken into custody in connection with the “shirtless” protest at the AI Impact Summit, taking the total number of those arrested in the case to 11, an official said on Wednesday.

Saurabh, Siddharth and Arbaz were apprehended by the Special Cell of Delhi Police from a hotel in Rohru subdivision of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh. They were produced before a local court, which granted transit remand to enable the police to bring them to Delhi for further questioning, he said. However, the arrests led to a dramatic turn of events after Himachal Pradesh Police intercepted the Delhi Police team while they were transporting the accused to the national capital. According to sources in Himachal Pradesh Police, the team from Delhi carried out the operation in Shimla without informing the local police. Acting on this, Himachal police intercepted three vehicles carrying the accused - who are reportedly not residents of Himachal Pradesh - and Delhi Police personnel.

Two vehicles were stopped in Shimla, while the third was intercepted near Dharampur in Solan district. Around 20 people, including police personnel, were detained, the source said.

The “shirtless” protest at Bharat Mandapam on February 20 had triggered a major security response, with police earlier invoking charges including rioting and promoting enmity under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Officials said the Special Cell acted on specific inputs and technical surveillance to trace the accused, who were allegedly involved in coordinating and assisting the protest at the high-profile international event attended by dignitaries and delegates. There was no immediate response from the Delhi Police to the reports. Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib and former national spokesperson Bhudev Sharma were arrested in connection with the case on Tuesday. Both were produced before a Delhi court and remanded to police custody for interrogation.

Earlier, on Saturday midnight, Delhi Police had raided Himachal Sadan in the national Capital amid reports that Youth Congress workers who had participated in the protest were provided accommodation there.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had termed the action “unfortunate” and “against constitutional procedure”.