Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has criticised the Congress over a “shirtless protest” at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi, calling it “unfortunate” and inappropriate for a global platform meant to showcase India’s progress. “Recent drama by the Congress party by having a shirtless protest in the AI summit was unfortunate. In such occasion leaders and political parties must stand together to project the nation. It’s not a platform to play politics … it’s the image of the country and as an Indian that comes first (s.i.c),” Sangma said in a post on X.
Delhi’s Tis Hazari court has described the protest by four Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers as a “blatant assault on public order” that jeopardised India’s diplomatic image. Judicial Magistrate Ravi granted police five days’ custody—until February 25—for questioning, citing risks of the accused fleeing and tampering with evidence. The accused, hailing from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana, allegedly stormed secure areas of Bharat Mandapam wearing T-shirts emblazoned with slogans against the India-US trade deal and images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump. They reportedly scuffled with security, injuring officers as per medico-legal records.