Delhi protest over air quality sees slogan for slain Naxalite Madvi Hidma, 23 people arrested

New Delhi: Delhi Police have arrested 23 people during the protest at India Gate, reportedly against the toxic air quality in the national capital. Notably, the air quality in the city continued to remain poor on Monday morning, with the average AQI in most places in Delhi and the surrounding NCR remaining above 400. The air quality was somewhat similar in neighbouring Ghaziabad and Noida.

Delhi Police has filed FIRs in two police stations against those arrested. The Kartavyapath police station has arrested six male protesters under sections 74, 79, 105(2), 132, 221, 223, and 6(2) of the IPC. A second FIR has been filed at the Parliament Street police station, in which 17 protesters have been arrested. The FIR has been filed against them under sections 223A, 132, 221, 121A, 126(2), 3(5) of the IPC.

On Sunday evening, a group of youth was protesting against the government at India Gate over the increasing pollution and toxic air in Delhi. The protest turned tense as some of the participants allegedly threw pepper spray at policemen while they were being removed from the site. Three to four policemen were reportedly injured and taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital for treatment. The protesters had gathered near India Gate and were demanding steps to curb the pollution in the capital and adjoining areas.

However, during the protest, a controversial slogan was allegedly raised. Some of the youths reportedly chanted slogans of "Long live Naxalite commander Madvi Hidma." When 50 to 60 protesters entered India Gate, New Delhi, DCP Devesh Mahala informed them that the place is not a designated protest site, and if they wanted to protest, they had to follow the correct procedure and apply for permission at Jantar Mantar. However, they refused and broke through the barricades, blocking the main road inside the C-Hexagon. As per reports, chilli powder was used against the police, and they have arrested more than 15 people.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla told news agency PTI, "This was very unusual. For the first time, protestors used chilli spray on officers managing traffic and law and order.” He added that this was the first time that police personnel encountered pepper spray while controlling the crowd.

Notably, security forces recently eliminated top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, one of India's most wanted insurgents and the alleged mastermind behind some of the deadliest attacks on security personnel in the Bastar region. Hidma and his wife, Raje alias Rajakka, were killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitharamaraju district. The gunfight took place in the dense forest region near the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana, an area long known to host Maoist hideouts.