New Delhi : A protest over Delhi’s toxic air crisis at the India Gate sparked controversy after demonstrators displayed posters of top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma. Tensions rose as the protesters on Sunday evening tried to block traffic and allegedly pepper-sprayed police officers attempting to disperse them, leading to an FIR and a wider probe into how the posters surfaced at the demonstration.
As the sit-in continued, security personnel reached the spot and asked the demonstrators to leave. When the group refuses to vacate, officers begin dispersing them one by one. Delhi Police has said that the protesters were removed, citing a Supreme Court order designating Jantar Mantar, not India Gate, as the official site for demonstrations in Delhi. So far, 15 to 20 people have been detained in connection with the demonstration and the alleged attack on personnel.
Speaking to reporters, a protester said, “Hidma is a tribal person who took up arms to fight for their rights. People may disagree with the method and call it wrong, but they cannot deny the reason behind it… Such repression cannot be inflicted on people who are defending their rights.” Praising the police action against the protesters, Delhi Development Minister Kapil Mishra described it as “a befitting response to such an ideology.”
The protest was organised by the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air against the Delhi government’s so-called “cosmetic measures” such as water sprinklers, cloud seeding, to try and curb the alarming levels of air pollution in the national capital, which has worsened in the past one week.
While highlighting the Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government’s failure to resolve the crisis, the group argued that the current development model — including mining projects, forest clearances and rapid infrastructure expansion in fragile areas — is driving pollution, displacing communities and worsening extreme weather across the country.
On November 8, activists and protesters – joined by leaders from Opposition parties such as AAP and Congress – marched towards India Gate, demanding that the government formulate effective policies to combat air pollution in the national capital as the AQI crossed the 400-mark under the severe category in many areas.
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