Tehseen Poonawalla Placed Under House Arrest Ahead of E20 Protest, Offers Sugarcane Juice to Police
Activist Tehseen Poonawalla has claimed he was put under house arrest by the Delhi Police as he attempted to leave his residence to protest against the “sugar scam” on Saturday, alleging that policies leading to a rise in sugar prices benefit the politically connected while consumers pay more. His protest was also aimed at the Centre’s E20 fuel policy.
Police say permission for Jantar Mantar protest was cancelled
Videos shared by Poonawalla on X show him questioning the police over the detention and asking why he was being stopped from going to Jantar Mantar. A police officer told him that his request to visit the protest site had been “cancelled” and that allowing him to proceed could lead to a law-and-order problem, with supporters potentially joining him.
The police officer also said that “some wrong people” could be among those who joined the protest. Poonawalla then questioned whether the police could stop him on the basis of such a possibility.
Speaking to India Today Digital, Poonawalla said Team Bharat, a citizen advocacy group he founded, had decided to “protest peacefully against rising sugar prices,” which he described as part of a “sugar scam.” He alleged that the policy was designed to benefit the children of politically connected people while pushing up sugar prices.
“The Delhi Police, as usual, came over to my house and has detained me,” Poonawalla told India Today Digital. “I am under house arrest. No documentation… I just offered them [the police] a glass of sugarcane juice,” he added.
Poonawalla cites Friday’s Jantar Mantar protest
Poonawalla later made a series of posts saying that he and others had been detained and suggested that he could be arrested if he tried to leave. He also alleged that the police had cited law-and-order concerns arising from protests held on Friday at Jantar Mantar.
“…Yesterday’s (sic) kids were singing Vande Mataram and Hanuman Chalisa!! How were they wrong and how have we been detained?” he posted on X when the Delhi Police told him that Friday’s protest at Jantar Mantar “had issues.”
Speaking to India Today Digital, Poonawalla also alleged that the ethanol-blending policy was “destroying our vehicles” and said the protests were aimed at both the E20 policy and rising sugar prices.
“They don’t want us to protest against the ethanol 20 blending policy, which is destroying our vehicles,” he said. He also alleged that the policy and the rise in sugar prices were affecting people’s household budgets.
Poonawalla also said, “They don’t want us to protest against the rising sugar prices and against the scam that is making kids of Netas millionaires and completely taking away our peace of mind — both of our vehicles and of our house budget.”
He also posted on X, “The sugar scam is a bitter scam in the face of a policy.”
Poonawalla offered sugarcane juice to cops
Soon after posting a video of the police asking him not to leave the house to protest, Poonawalla also posted a video showing him offering sugarcane juice to police personnel stationed outside his residence. He used the gesture to sarcastically highlight his criticism of the rise in sugar prices and ethanol policies, suggesting that sugarcane juice could become more expensive in the future.
The sugarcane-juice gesture also drew attention on social media. However, Poonawalla’s main contention remained that he was being prevented from protesting against the E20 policy.
The latest videos do not show a written detention order being presented to Poonawalla. They do, however, show police telling him not to proceed because his permission to go to Jantar Mantar had been cancelled, citing potential law-and-order concerns.
Poonawalla has questioned why he was being stopped from exercising his right to protest.
Second such confrontation with Delhi Police in weeks
The latest detention comes weeks after a similar confrontation between Poonawalla and the Delhi Police over his proposed protest against the E20 fuel policy.
On July 31, Poonawalla had announced a solo march from APJ Abdul Kalam Marg to Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg, where he planned to observe a day-long hunger strike against the policy. He had made the announcement after police allegedly denied permission for his proposed Team Bharat “Gaadi March” to Parliament.
Poonawalla has continued to oppose the government’s E20 policy, under which petrol is blended with up to 20% ethanol. His criticism has also expanded to the government’s broader sugar and ethanol policies, which he has described on social media as the “Sugar Scam” and “Ethanol Scam.”
He has repeatedly alleged that these policies benefit politically connected families while increasing costs for ordinary consumers.