New Delhi: Delhi Police on Saturday sought five-day detention for four accused who staged a topless parade at the Bharat Mandapam during the Artificial Intelligence Summit. While seeking remand, Delhi Police said the accused had staged protests similar to those in Nepal, claiming it was a conspiracy to defame the country internationally.Prosecutors told the court that the accused raised anti-national slogans and wore T-shirts with messages against Prime Minister Narendra Modi while protesting against the India-US trade deal.When asked why the police required the accused to be detained for five days, investigators said there was a deep conspiracy and the other accused fled the scene and needed to be detained for proper investigation.Police added that three officers were injured and the defendants’ mobile phones needed to be recovered to verify whether they had received the funds. Four people from four different locations came together to print T-shirts. Lawyers for the defendants, meanwhile, said they were targeted because they belonged to the opposition party. The lawyer also said accusations and protests were happening everywhere.The lawyer added that political dissent should not be suppressed like this.After the protest, Delhi Police initially detained around 10 IYC staff. ACP (New Delhi) Devesh Mahla said, “The Indian Youth Congress held a protest on Friday when around 15 people entered the lobby of Hall 5 and raised slogans after taking off their T-shirts.”“The four arrested accused will be produced before the Patiala House Court; an FIR is being registered in which several serious charges will be cited,” another police officer said.The accused allegedly got into a protracted scuffle with security personnel and police deployed at the spot, officials said.Investigators are looking into whether there is a larger conspiracy behind the incident.According to news agency Press Trust of India, citing sources, the protesters allegedly registered online to obtain a QR code to enter the Bharat Mandapam venue before holding their protest in Hall 5.Some protesters got into heated arguments with some attendees and were removed by security guards.Sources said the protesters also manhandled some policemen on duty, which could invoke the non-bailable section.Sources said the accused had initially planned to put printed stickers on black umbrellas and smuggle them into the Bharat Mandapam.“However, they later felt that the black umbrella might attract the attention of the security guards at the gate, so they changed their plans and put the printed stickers on the T-shirts,” a source said.
