Chaos erupted at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi on Friday afternoon after Youth Congress workers stormed an expo hall inside the high-security venue, shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, protesting over the India–US trade agreement. Slogans such as “PM is compromised”, “India–US trade deal” and “Epstein Files” were visible on the T-shirts used during the protest.
The protesters entered the summit premises at Bharat Mandapam and disrupted proceedings briefly. Visuals from the venue showed a group of men, some of them shirtless, raising slogans and holding up white T-shirts printed with images of Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump.
At least four protesters have been detained. Those detained include Krishna Hari, national secretary of the Youth Congress; Kundan Yadav, Bihar Youth Congress state secretary; Ajay Kumar, vice president of the Uttar Pradesh Youth Congress; and Narasimha Yadav, national coordinator of the Youth Congress.
According to reports, the protesters had allegedly obtained QR codes to gain access to the tightly guarded venue. Police are now using facial recognition software to identify others involved, and further arrests are expected.
Witnesses present at one of the halls said they first heard loud slogans coming from outside before the group entered the expo area. The demonstrators raised objections to the recently announced India–US trade framework, which the Congress has consistently criticised, alleging that India has not secured proportionate benefits under the agreement.
Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu defended the protest, saying, “Youth Congress members went to the summit and raised slogans against what they see as compromises by the Prime Minister. There is anger not only among Youth Congress workers but also among young people across the country who have been struggling with unemployment for the past 12 years.”
He further expressed concerns regarding the interim trade arrangement with the United States. “I do not know what compelled Prime Minister Modi to agree to it, but we believe this deal harms the interests of the country’s farmers. We also view it as a compromise on national security, especially if citizens’ data, including that of our armed forces personnel and other citizens, is being shared with foreign companies. If we are protesting these issues, we are doing so in the interest of the people of this country,” he said.
The protest triggered sharp reactions from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which described the incident as an attempt to tarnish India’s global image. Union Minister Bhupender Yadav condemned the disruption, calling it “absolute shamelessness from Congress.” “At a time, Bharat is taking strides positioning itself as a global technology powerhouse, Congress is going all out to embarrass the country. This is not political opposition; this is an attempt at sabotaging India's global image. Despicable,” he wrote in a post on X.
BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli also criticised the protest, saying, “For the Congress, AI means anti-India.” “The Congress has once again proven that INC is actually ANC, or Anti-National Congress. The protesters are not just shirtless, but characterless as well,” he added. The BJP further described the disruption as stemming from the Congress’s “jealousy” of India’s economic growth story.
Under the framework agreement with the United States, India has agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on a range of American industrial goods as well as several agricultural and food products. These include dried distillers’ grains, red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruits, soybean oil, wine and spirits, among others. The Opposition has alleged from the outset that the agreement is skewed in favour of Washington and detrimental to Indian farmers and domestic industries.
The incident took place on the fifth and concluding day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, which has brought together global leaders, policymakers and technology executives to deliberate on artificial intelligence and digital governance. India formally joined the United States’ flagship AI and supply chain security initiative, Pax Silica, during the summit.
