Delhi Air Protest Turns Violent at India Gate; 23 Arrested After Pepper Spray Attack and Maoist Poster Row

New Delhi (India) November 24: A protest on Delhi's deadly air quality at India Gate turned into controversy when demonstrators were seen carrying posters of a notorious Maoist commander, Madvi Hidma, whom police killed in Andhra Pradesh last week. At least 23 were arrested following the violent outburst during Sunday evening's protest.

The Air Quality Index in the national capital registered again on the verge of falling into its "severe" category, clocking in at 397. Out of 39 monitoring stations in Delhi, 20 were found to be at the "severe" level. 

Violence erupts after protestors allegedly pepper-spray police officers clearing traffic

Things escalated when demonstrators wanted to block traffic, pepper-spraying officers who had been instructed to break up the protest, leading to an FIR and investigation into how posters had made it to the protest. 

Two FIRs have been filed on the protest; one was filed at Kartavya Path police station against six demonstrators, while the other was filed at the Parliament Street police station against 17 demonstrators. 

According to police, the protesters did not vacate the intersection despite several requests to clear the intersection for ambulances. During the scuffle, some protesters allegedly used chili or pepper spray on police officers, which according to DCP Devesh Mahla, is an "unprecedented" occurrence during a protest.

Officers suffered eyelid and facial injuries and were sent to RML Hospital. Police described the use of chili spray to disperse those gathered at the protest as "unprecedented".

Posters of slain Maoist leader Madvi Hidma spark controversy and political backlash

A video has gone viral of a group of protesters who descended into the C-Hexagon area in India Gate and raised slogans against air pollution in Delhi, which also shows one person holding a poster with a sketch of Madvi Hidma, the most wanted Maoist commander who was killed on November 18.

Hidma, Commander of the CPI (Maoist)'s ruthless Battalion 1, planned some of the most deadly Naxal attacks, including the Burkapal ambush (2017) in Chintalnar (2010) and attacks against security forces across the Bastar area. He was killed by Andhra Pradesh Police in an encounter in Alluri Sitaramaraju district.

Government Reacts Strongly

Delhi Development Minister Kapil Mishra reacted sharply. He said the posters denoted an infiltration of extremism posing as environmental activists.

He posted, "Posters in hand under the guise of pollution, Red Salute slogans on their lips… the new face of jihadis and Naxalites posing as social activists," on social media platform X.

Police launch inquiry into extremist infiltration claims

Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner Devesh Kumar Mahla has said that an inquiry is being conducted at the India Gates demonstration where protesters allegedly used chilli spray on police and displayed posters of Naxalite ideologue Madvi Hidma. An FIR has been registered against the protest on various sections for use of force against police, blocking the road, and the posters of Madvi Hidma and strict legal action will be taken, he said, before adding that the inquiry was ongoing and legal action would again commence.

The protest was hosted by the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air against so-called cosmetic measures of the Delhi government like water sprinklers or cloud seeding to mitigate the alarming levels of air pollution within the national capital which has worsened in the last week.