Cong’s youth wing chief, Uday Bhanu Chib, gives wings to party cause on the ground

Days after a political row sparked over the shirtless protest by Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, the police on Tuesday arrested IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib, which is likely to turn into a political flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP. The Delhi Police announced the arrest on Tuesday morning after questioning Chib at the Tilak Marg police station since Monday afternoon. On Monday, as the police summoned Chib, the Congress alleged harassment and defended its workers who protested at the venue of the international summit. Chib, who is 39, is the eighth person to be arrested in connection with the case lodged over the shirtless protest. He is suspected of having played a role as a conspirator, said police officers. Chib and other IYC protesters involved in the demonstration at the AI summit have been defended by his party’s senior colleagues. Chib hails from a political family in north Jammu and broke into the national political scene on September 22, 2024, when he was appointed the national president of the IYC, succeeding Srinivas BV. Chib who enjoys the backing of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had sustained an injury during a protest against “vote chori” but continued the demonstrations with a bandaged hand. “His photos on social media sent a message to the IYC cadre that if the president can come out to protest with a broken finger, they can too. That’s the kind of energy he brings,” said an IYC leader. “He is a very staunch follower of Bhagat Singh and B R Ambedkar… He is ready to scale a wall, barricade and argue with the police while protesting. But in meetings, he is soft spoken and sweet,” said AICC secretary Pradeep Narwal. Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More