What happened
Delhi Police arrested Uday Bhanu Chib, national president of the Indian Youth Congress, bringing total arrests to eight following a "shirtless" protest at the India AI Impact Summit on February 20. Youth Congress workers gained entry to Bharat Mandapam via online registration and QR codes, then removed shirts to display anti-government and anti-India-US trade deal slogans before security removed them. Police invoked additional sections under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including promoting enmity and assertions prejudicial to national integration, carrying up to three years imprisonment, and are investigating conspiracy and funding.
Why it matters
Security vulnerabilities emerged at high-profile international tech events, affecting event organisers and security architects responsible for physical and digital access controls. New BNS sections invoked against protesters, beyond initial charges of unlawful assembly and obstruction, indicate increased legal risks for public demonstrations at such gatherings. Procurement teams evaluating event security and platform engineers designing access systems require robust, multi-layered vetting processes beyond basic digital credentials to mitigate disruption risks.
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