AI Summit Protest: Fifth Accused Arrested From Gwalior, Photo With Rahul Gandhi Surfaces
Delhi Police on Monday arrested another accused from Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior in connection with Indian Youth Congress’s (IYC) “shirtless protest” inside Bharat Mandapam during the AI Impact Summit 2026.
The accused has been identified as Jitendra Yadav, a resident of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. According to sources, Yadav is allegedly linked to the Indian Youth Congress. A photo of him with Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has also surfaced on social media platforms.
This is the fifth arrest made by the police so far. He has been sent to two-day police custody as part of the ongoing investigation into the protest case.
Four IYC Members Sent To Five-Day Custody
Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Saturday approved a five-day police custody for the four Youth Congress workers who staged a shirtless protest at Bharat Mandapam during the AI Summit.
The court came down heavily on the IYC, saying that their conduct was not legitimate dissent, rather a “blatant assault on public order” that imperilled India’s diplomatic image.
While allowing the Delhi Police’s plea for custodial interrogation, the magistrate said that the alleged actions of the accused “imperil not merely the event’s sanctity but also the Republic’s diplomatic image before foreign stakeholders, rendering it wholly unprotected by constitutional safeguards.”
While seeking remand, Delhi Police said that the accused had staged a protest similar to the protest in Nepal, claiming that it was a conspiracy to defame the country internationally.
The court said custodial interrogation was essential to unearth a larger conspiracy, funding sources, digital evidence and possible absconding associates. It noted that the accused hailed from remote regions, raising concerns about flight risk.
What Happened In AI Summit?
India hosted the world’s largest artificial intelligence conclave, the AI Impact Summit-2026. The summit that began on February 16 has seen packed halls and long queues, as tech moguls, industry leaders, policymakers, founders, and technologists thronged the Bharat Mandapam.
Around 10 activists of the Congress’s youth wing had entered the AI Summit venue in New Delhi and staged a shirtless protest, raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the India-US trade deal. The protesters wore or carried white T-shirts printed with images of PM Modi and US President Donald Trump along with slogans targeting the government.
The protest sparked a political row, with BJP leaders condemning it as “anti-national” and accusing the Congress of harming India’s global image, while the Congress defended the demonstration as legitimate democratic dissent reflecting youth anger.
PM Modi Slams ‘Naked Protests’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hit out at Congress and accused it of using a global event for its “dirty and naked politics”.
In a scathing jibe at Congress, PM Modi said, “You are already naked, then why did you feel the need to take off your clothes?”
“What the Congress leaders did there shows how ideologically bankrupt and impoverished the oldest party of the country has become. Congress is busy defaming its own country. Some political parties within the country cannot digest India’s success. We just witnessed the world’s largest AI conference in India. But what did the Congress and its ecosystem do? The Congress turned a global event for India into a platform for its dirty and naked politics,” the PM said while addressing a gathering in Meerut.
