3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Apr 29, 2026 11:00 AM IST
More than a dozen meetings were held at the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) office and restaurants in Central and South Delhi in a month; a WhatsApp group was created; 100 T-shirts were printed; and a protest spot chosen near the Google Pavilion: All this was part of the alleged plan to disrupt the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi on February 20, showed the Delhi Police probe, The Indian Express has learnt.
The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch Monday filed a 5,000-page chargesheet in a city court in connection with the ‘shirtless protest’ by IYC members during the Summit at Bharat Mandapam, said sources. The chargesheet names IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib, its in-charge Manish Sharma, and 16 others as accused. It also lists 130 witnesses.
What happened during the protest
On February 20, police said a group of 14 men arrived at Bharat Mandapam wearing jackets and sweaters. Underneath, they allegedly wore T-shirts printed with a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After entering Hall Number 5, some of them removed their jackets, and a few even took off their T-shirts. They raised slogans such as “PM is compromised” and protested against the India-US trade deal and the Jeffrey Epstein files, officers said.
The ‘planning’
It was found during the police probe that the first meeting to plan the protest was held at the IYC office in Central Delhi on January 25-26, said sources. Later, IYC members met several times at restaurants in Connaught Place and Safdarjung to execute the alleged plan. During these meetings, responsibilities such as printing the T-shirts and selecting the venue were allegedly assigned.
The probe also found that a WhatsApp group named “AI Impact Group” was created. Around 100 white T-shirts with objectionable images of PM Modi and US President Donald Trump were printed at a press in Okhla, Delhi.
On the day of the protest, around two dozen people were called to carry out the plan at Bharat Mandapam but 14 turned up. They entered the premises to hold the protest. The accused targeted Bharat Mandapam after their initial protest at Jantar Mantar failed to get any traction.
One of the 18 accused was cited as the ‘main’ planner of the event, and he was the one who had come up with the idea of removing the T-shirt. The police probe also suggests that two sets of venues were initially considered, but the group finally decided to breach hall number 5, which was closer to the Google Pavilion, in order to maximise global impact, sources said.
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Police said that Uday Bhanu Chib and Manish Sharma were among the main conspirators behind the plan to disrupt the AI summit. They added that IYC member Siddhartha Avadhud was given the task of finalising the venue, while Shri Krishna Hari was tasked with preparing the participants for the protest.
The Delhi Police arrested over a dozen people in the case; they were later granted bail by the court.
