‘Madvi Hidma amar rahe’: Protest over Delhi air pollution turns violent as posters of top Maoist leader emerge; Chilli spray used on police

A protest over Delhi’s worsening air pollution turned violent at India(BHARAT) Gate on Sunday evening. Police detained more than 15 people after some protesters allegedly used chilli spray on officers who were trying to clear the blocked road. Police said the protestors sat in the middle of the road for nearly an hour without permission, shouting slogans and holding posters. When police asked them to stop and move, a few protesters became aggressive, broke barricades, and sprayed chilli spray. Three to four policemen were injured and taken to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital for treatment.

During the chaos, a small group of people began shouting slogans praising Madvi Hidma, a Maoist leader who was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh earlier this month. One person even held a poster saying, “From Birsa Munda to Madvi Hidma, the fight for our forests and environment will continue.” Police have taken legal action over these slogans.

Madvi Hidma was accused of carrying out at least 26 violent attacks on security forces and civilians. He was linked to several major incidents, including the 2010 Dantewada attack that killed 76 CRPF personnel, the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack where 27 people, including top Congress leaders, died, and the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur ambush that killed 22 security personnel.

Police say the investigation into Sunday’s incident is ongoing.

The police have now arrested 22 people for the violence. Six of them were held at the Kartavyapath police station, and the other 17 were taken to the Parliament Street police station.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Devesh Kumar Mahla said that an FIR has been filed under several charges. These include using force against police officers, blocking the road, and using chilli spray.

What did the police say about the protest?

Officials also said that action will be taken against the people who shouted Maoist slogans during the protest. The DCP said, “We will identify everyone who raised those slogans at India(BHARAT) Gate, and legal steps will be taken against them.”

According to a senior police officer the protesters had gathered close to the C-Hexagon and were told that their demonstration at that location was obstructing ambulances and medical personnel trying to pass through.

“We tried to explain to them that emergency vehicles were stuck and needed clear access, but they refused to move. The situation then turned into a scuffle, and some protesters used chilli powder on our personnel, which is unusual and rare,” the officer said.

The police personnel at the spot sensed the situation could escalate to a scuffle and advised the protesters to step back.

“They refused, broke the barricade, came onto the road, and sat there. When our teams were trying to remove them, some of the protestors attacked police personnel using chilli spray. Three to four personnel sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment,” the officer said.

“This was very unusual. For the first time, protestors used pepper spray on officers managing traffic and law and order,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla told PTI.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air in a statement said the city’s worsening air quality has become a “serious risk” to public health and alleged that the authorities have failed to address the root causes of pollution.

It further alleged that air quality has remained in the “severe” category, while the government relies on “cosmetic measures” such as water sprinklers, cloud seeding and spraying near Air Quality Index (AQI) stations instead of finding long-term solutions to tackle the issue.