‘Shirtless protest’ at Delhi AI Summit: 10 Youth Congress workers detained

New Delhi: Ten members of the Indian Youth Congress were detained by Delhi Police on Friday after staging a dramatic 'shirtless protest' inside an exhibition hall at the AI Impact Summit in the national capital. The demonstrators walked around holding T-shirts bearing slogans critical of the government and the India-US trade deal before security personnel escorted them out.

"The protesters were removed immediately and were taken to Tilak Marg police station. No one will be allowed to breach the law and order situation," a senior police officer said.

The BJP criticised the Congress over the protest by its youth wing, alleging that a "ruckus" had been created at the venue to damage India’s global image at the instance of former party chief Rahul Gandhi.

The protesters entered Exhibition Hall No. 5 wearing or carrying white T-shirts featuring images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, along with slogans such as "India-US Trade Deal", "Epstein Files" and "PM is compromised", triggering a commotion.

The situation escalated briefly, with heated exchanges reported between some attendees and a few protesters, reported PTI.

Sharing a video of the incident, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) said the question being asked is: Why exactly did young Congress workers need to raise their voices against the "compromised PM inside the AI Summit."

"In a country where the media, the system, and the prime minister himself have already been compromised, what platform remains to raise a voice against it? If we protest on the streets, we are stopped. Under the guise of IT Rules, social media posts against the government are taken down. The media has become the government's mouthpiece. So, what avenue remains open to us?" the Youth Congress asked.

"We are not against the AI Summit. We are against the compromises being made with India's interests. When the country's farmers are being bargained away, anti-India trade agreements are being signed, and the youth is kept unemployed while being dragged into politics of hate, should we stay silent?" it asked.

"This country belongs to 140 crore citizens. If we know how to walk the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi, we also know how to walk the path shown by Sardar Bhagat Singh. We will never allow the interests of the country's youths and farmers to be bargained away. Inquilab Zindabad," the IYC said in its post in Hindi.

A Delhi Police official stationed at the venue said security inside the halls would be tightened following the "unfortunate episode".

The brief protest, which lasted only a few minutes before the group was escorted out, took many guests and visitors by surprise, given the scale and significance of the summit being hosted by India.

The AI Impact Summit is underway from February 16 to 20 at Bharat Mandapam, with participation from several heads of state, global AI leaders, academicians, researchers, technology executives and philanthropists.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19 in the presence of world leaders and top executives from major global technology firms.

After being removed from the exhibition hall, the protesters proceeded towards the lobby area, stood in front of a large backdrop installed there and continued raising slogans against the government.

A student from Ludhiana who attended the Impact Arena on Friday said general visitors registering through the summit website receive a QR code via email that includes their name and organisational affiliation, which is used to gain entry into the Bharat Mandapam premises.