New Delhi: The Delhi Police have sought 5 days custody of the 4 accused arrested for allegedly entering Bharat Mandapam on Friday and raising anti-Modi slogans. They are from the Indian Youth Congress and they entered the venue of the AI Summit in India and carried out shirtless protests there.
The Delhi Police told the court that the protestors were “inspired by the recent Gen Z protests in Nepal” and said that this was an attempt to defame the country at an international stage.
Accused raised anti-India slogans: Public prosecutor tells court
According to a report in the Times of India, the public prosecutor argued in court that the protestors raised anti-national slogans inside the Summit venue. They were accused of sloganeering against the India-US trade deal and also wearing or carrying t-shirts which had slogans against PM Narendra Modi.
Upon being asked by the court why the police wanted 5 days custody, the officials responded that there was a deep conspiracy in this case. The investigating officer further told the court that other accused fled the scene and the custody was required to conduct a proper investigation.
The police further claimed in court that 3 police officials were injured in the scuffle with the protestors. They added that the mobile phones of the accused had not been recovered yet and they needed to find them at the earliest, to check if they were receiving any funds from other organisations.
Do not crush political dissent: Lawyers of accused
Meanwhile, in their defence, the Youth Congress members argued that they were being targeted because they belonged to the opposition party. Their lawyer prayed to the court that the government should not be allowed to crush dissent in this manner.
After the Indian Youth Congress workers entered Bharat Mandapam on Friday, the police detained at least 10 people. Later 4 were arrested. The Youth Congress workers, were defended by their party.
The Congress called them the voice of the “unemployed youth of India”.
Once the protestors entered the Bharat Mandapam, they headed for Hall No.5 and raised slogans against the PM. Reports claimed that their initial plan was to carry black umbrellas with PM Modi’s face printed on them. But the idea was dropped as they felt that this would draw the attention of the security personnel present at the venue.
The plan was therefore changed and they got PM Modi’s photos printed on white t-shirts instead and entered Bharat Mandapam shirtless.