Three suspects arrested in connection with a shirtless protest during an AI summit in Delhi have been brought to the city from Shimla, while the Youth Congress was denied permission to protest at Jantar Mantar.
In a significant development in the case related to a shirtless protest during an AI summit held in Delhi, three individuals have been arrested from a resort in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, and subsequently transported to Delhi. The suspects, identified as Saurabh, Siddharth, and Arbaz, are now in custody of the Delhi Crime Branch, as investigations into the protest intensify. The protest, which garnered media attention, raised questions regarding freedom of expression and the measures taken to manage public demonstrations in the capital.
Arbaz Ahmed, one of the arrested individuals, hails from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh and has been increasingly active in politics since 2022. His family background is notable, as his father, Firoz Ahmed, is a veteran Congress leader and a member of the All India Congress Committee. Firoz had previously contested in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections but finished fourth for the Congress party in his constituency. The political ties of the arrested individual have led to public interest regarding the motivations behind the protest, particularly with a connection to political activism.
Meanwhile, the Youth Congress, a student wing of the Congress party, sought permission to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar against the authorities' crackdown on freedoms and protest rights, which was denied. This denial has sparked discussions on the limits of protest and free speech in India, particularly in politically charged environments. The situation reveals a broader trend of increasing scrutiny on political dissent and the responses of law enforcement to public demonstrations, which could have implications for future protests and political mobilization in the region.
