NEW DELHI: Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib was released from Tihar jail on Tuesday, days after being granted bail in connection with a protest at Bharat Mandapam during the AI Impact Summit.
Speaking after his release, Chib said the Congress and its youth wing would continue to oppose the India-US deal, which he alleged was harmful to farmers.
“Congress members who protested and Youth Congress members are fighting against this. The way this US deal has been done, it is against the farmers of the country. We will continue this struggle against it. The Congress party and the Youth Congress will continue this struggle under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi because this deal is causing losses to the farmers of the country…
That is why we are protesting… ” he said.
Chib was granted bail on Saturday by a Duty Magistrate after the Delhi Crime Branch sought an extension of his police custody. His counsel, Advocate Sulaiman Mohammad Khan, said the court found that the police had not provided sufficient grounds to justify further remand.
“The Duty Magistrate was pleased enough to grant bail to Uday Bhanu Chib and has explained in the bail order we have just read that the Police Crime Branch has not been able to explain the reasons for seeking extension of PC remand to Uday Bhanu Chib,” Khan said.
He added that certain conditions were imposed, including surrendering his passport and electronic gadgets and furnishing a surety of Rs 50,000.
Advocate Roopesh Singh Bhadauria said Chib had been in police custody for four days. He said the hearing was advanced to early morning hours.
“This was not a fresh arrest of Uday Bhanu Chib. He had already been in the PC for four days. We received a message at 12 midnight stating that he would be produced before the Duty Magistrate around 6 am. Thankfully, we at least received a message for him, because we didn’t even receive a message about the others. Then, at 12:30, we received a call saying he would be produced at 1 am. We arrived in a panic. His hearing began at 1:30…” he said.
According to Delhi Police, Chib was the “main conspirator and mastermind” behind the February 20 protest at Bharat Mandapam. Police alleged that anti-national slogans were raised and that there was an attempt to create a riot-like situation. They claimed that, in conspiracy with others, he obstructed and assaulted police personnel on duty.
During the AI Impact Summit on February 20, several men allegedly entered the venue wearing T-shirts bearing images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, along with slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal.
