Jammu, February 26, 2026 : A dramatic protest unfolded in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Thursday when Karandeep Singh, state secretary of the Indian Youth Congress, climbed atop a five-storey high water tank to protest the arrest of IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib. Singh was later detained by police to prevent escalation, officials said.
Carrying a Congress flag and a banner reading “Modi is compromised”, Singh, along with another youth, scaled the structure and raised slogans against the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He accused the Union government of suppressing democratic dissent and alleged that the country’s leadership had “bowed before foreign powers.”
Addressing onlookers from atop the tank, Singh asserted that the agitation would continue until Chib and other detained Congress leaders were released. Chib was arrested following a controversial “shirtless protest” during the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
“We want Chib and his colleagues released immediately. The BJP government is intolerant of democratic protest. We will not bow down to pressure,” Singh said.
The protest quickly drew a crowd of local residents, prompting swift intervention by police and the district administration. After prolonged persuasion and negotiations, officials managed to bring Singh down safely. He was taken into preventive custody to avert further protests, officials added.
Reacting strongly to the detention, Congress leaders described the police action as an attempt to muzzle dissent, asserting that peaceful protest is a constitutional right. They accused the government of adopting a policy of repression against opposition voices.
Even while being detained, Singh continued raising slogans, declaring that the voice of the youth could not be silenced.
“How many of us will you arrest? How many will you send to jail? We will not step back,” he shouted, alleging authoritarianism by the ruling dispensation.
