Sagar Watch News/ Tension flared in Sagar on Saturday as BJP and Congress workers clashed following protests by Youth Congress during the prestigious India AI Impact Summit 2026 held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
BJP and its youth wing staged a gherao of the Congress office, burning effigies of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Congress workers, already gathered in large numbers, retaliated with counter-slogans and effigy burnings of the Chief Minister and the Urban Administration Minister.
The confrontation escalated into chaos, with both sides allegedly hurling slippers, chairs, sticks, and brooms. Police deployed heavy barricades and eventually used water cannons to disperse the crowd.
BJP’s Stand
District BJP President Shyam Tiwari termed the Congress protest at the global AI summit “anti-national” and accused Rahul Gandhi of attempting to tarnish India’s international image.
MLA Shailendra Kumar Jain said representatives from 21 countries had attended the summit and called the disruption “shameful and irresponsible.” He clarified that breaking barricades was not part of the BJP’s planned programme and sought an internal review.
District President Yash Agarwal, State Working Committee Member Shailesh Kesarwani, District Vice President Jagannath Guraiya, Laxman Singh, Rameshwar Namdev, Chain Singh Thakur, Mandal President Amit Baisakhiya, Neeraj Yadav, Megha Dubey, Neelam Ahirwar, Vikram Soni, Alok Kesarwani, Manish Choubey, Anshul Harshe, Jai Soni, Vikas Kesarwani, Ajmeri Rain, Rajiv Jain, Rahul Vaidya, Nitin Soni, Nikesh Gupta, Councilor Ritesh Tiwari, Shailendra Thakur, Chetram Ahirwar, Kanhai Patel, Ramu Contractor, Devendra Ahirwar, Rameshwar Nema, Prasuk Jain, Murari Sahu, Anshul Gupta, Deepak Jain and a large number of workers were present in the program.
Congress’ Counterattack
City Congress President Mahesh Jatav accused the BJP of political desperation and warned of intensified protests. He announced upcoming mobilisations in Bhopal under state Congress chief Jitu Patwari, with the participation of national leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.
Former rural president Dr Anand Ahirwar demanded the removal of Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya over alleged objectionable remarks, while other leaders accused the Centre of compromising national interests.
The prominent people present at the effigy burning event were former MLA Sunil Jain, Pandit Triloki Nath Katare, former president Jagdish Yadav, Mukul Purohit, Sandeep Chaudhary, Akshat Kothari, Sandeep Sablok, Awadhesh Tomar, Anand Haila, Deendayal Tiwari, Laxmi Narayan Sonkia, Rekha Soni, Rekha Ahirwar, Meera Ahirwar, Pawan Patel, Mahesh Ahirwar, Ganga Ram Ahirwar, Roop Narayan Yadav, Ashok Nagwani, Pappu Goswami, Sajid Ryan, Rashid Ryan, Ranjita Rana, Suresh Panjwani, Sameer Khan, Naushad Abbasi, Vinod Kori, Sahil Khan, Prem Mishra, Sunil Thakur, Arvind Singh Thakur, Nikhil Jain, Priyank Jain, Prabhat Bhandari, Gopal Prajapati, Naresh Valmiki, Narendra Ahirwar, Firoz Khan, Devendra Valmiki, Anil Daksh, Sher Khan, Mohishn Khan, Sunil Baba, Dinesh Dixit, Zeeshan, Tajju Bhai Jan Abrar, Man Singh Chaudhary. Priyankar Tiwari, Neeraj Chaurasia, Sultan, Ajay Lahariya, Omar Khan, Mohsin Ali Liladhar Suryavanshi, Bhaiyan Patel, Ehsan Khan, Dulichand Sakwar, Deshraj Yadav, Deepak Swami, Sajid Khan, Kundan Jat, Ritesh Rohit, Doctor Geeta Kushwaha, Bhure Khatik, Rohit Mandle, Saloni Saur, Jyoti Malia, Rajesh Upadhyay, Kiran Lata Soni, Meena Thakur, along with a large number of Congress members were present.
Political Impact
The incident reflects the deepening political polarisation between the BJP and the Congress, with national-level disputes increasingly spilling onto local streets.
While the BJP framed its protest as a defence of national prestige at an international summit, the Congress projected its resistance as a fight against alleged authoritarianism and policy failures.
However, the descent into physical confrontation—marked by effigy burnings, object throwing, and police intervention—raises concerns about shrinking democratic space and the normalisation of aggressive street politics. Instead of substantive debate on AI policy or governance issues, both parties appeared focused on symbolic retaliation.
Such clashes risk undermining public faith in democratic discourse and diverting attention from pressing developmental concerns.
