New Delhi: Clashes broke out between Congress and BJP workers on Saturday as the BJP protested against a “topless” demonstration by members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) at the India AI Impact Summit. According to videos circulating on social media, rocks were thrown during the clashes, prompting police to intervene to control the situation and ensure public safety.Krishna Lalchandani, deputy commissioner of police, said the clashes took place near the Congress party office when the BJP was conducting a protest. “There are two parties involved. One party is protesting. The protest is near the congressional offices. The area has been cordoned off and adequate police arrangements have been ensured. Suddenly, someone spread rumors and someone threw stones. Later, the other party also threw stones. Some people were injured… It’s too early to say who threw the first stone,” Rachandani added.The incident comes after Youth Congress workers staged a “topless” protest inside the Bharat Mandapam on Friday, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of harming the national interest during the Artificial Intelligence Summit. During the demonstrations, protesters took off their shirts and raised slogans to draw attention to what they called political and national issues.The Patiala House Court on Saturday rejected the bail petition of four arrested Youth Congress workers Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar and Narasimha Yadav and sent them to police custody for five days. Police said the detention was needed to investigate a potential larger conspiracy, including the financing and planning of the protests. Three police officers were reportedly injured in the clashes.Delhi Police officials said the protesters had registered online to obtain a QR code to enter the venue and initially planned to use black umbrellas emblazoned with stickers to convey their message.“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 police source said.The accused reportedly got into scuffles with security personnel and police during the protest. Investigators are also looking into whether the demonstration was part of a wider conspiracy linked to similar protests in Nepal.Lawyers for the defendants argued that the protests were a form of political dissent and that workers were targeted because of their partisanship. “Political dissent should not be suppressed like this. The defendants are educated public officials and were exercising their right to peaceful protest,” the lawyer said.
‘BJP’s reign of terror continues among MPs’: Congress reacts to protests
The Congress party reacted to the incident, blaming the BJP leadership for the violence. The party wrote in a post on“
