New Delhi, Feb 23 (NationPress) A collective of scholars has denounced the recent shirtless demonstration by the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) during the AI Summit, labeling it as “ill-timed” and “disgraceful”.

Headed by Binay Kumar Singh, Director of the Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, the scholars released a unified statement on Monday asserting that the actions of Congress leaders cannot be justified as “democratic dissent”.

“A wide range of India’s academic and intellectual community has come together to issue a formal statement expressing profound concern regarding the shameful and disgraceful behavior exhibited by IYC leaders at the India AI Impact Summit,” the statement from the academic community read.

The signatories included prominent figures such as JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, University of Mumbai Vice-Chancellor R.D. Kulkarni, NIT Jalandhar Director B.K. Kanaujia, IIM Amritsar Founding Director N. Ramamoorthy, IIT Jodhpur Director A.K. Agarwal, IIT Dharwad, along with esteemed professors and former educators from Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia.

The scholars emphasized that the summit was a pivotal occasion for India to showcase its technological prowess, strategic foresight, and burgeoning leadership in artificial intelligence to the global audience.

“In this context, the reported disruption was perceived as ill-timed and could potentially undermine India's international reputation at a moment of increased global scrutiny on the country’s AI landscape,” the statement remarked.

Over 150 academicians from all over India, including Vice Chancellors, former Vice Chancellors, directors, senior professors, researchers, and intellectuals, have collaborated through an organized signature campaign to voice their strongest condemnation of the incident.

The signatories asserted unequivocally that the actions of Indian National Congress leaders present at the summit cannot be portrayed as democratic dissent; rather, they amounted to a reckless and profoundly irresponsible action that jeopardized India’s global standing at a critical juncture of technological advancement.

“The academic community has branded the episode as the highest order of shame. Transforming such a platform into an arena for partisan theatrics, the signatories noted, demonstrates a significant lapse in judgment from Congress and a disregard for national interests,” the statement continued.

This initiative underscores the academic community's dedication to responsible public discourse and safeguarding India's technological reputation as it fortifies its role in the global AI landscape, the statement concluded.

During their protest on February 20, Youth Congress members raised slogans regarding issues such as unemployment, inflation, and the purported India-US trade agreement, igniting a political controversy and sharp exchanges between the BJP-led Union government and the Opposition. The Delhi Police have apprehended five individuals in connection with this case.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday criticized Congress leaders for “praising” their youth wing’s protest. “Unfortunately, the leaders of the oldest party in the country are applauding those who have embarrassed the nation instead of condemning them,” the PM remarked.