 "Protests in New Delhi against air pollution turned violent on Sunday. PTI")
Protests at India Gate turned ugly on Sunday evening.
Demonstrators who had taken to the iconic landmark against the toxic air in the national capital clashed with police. Some protesters even attacked the police with chilli powder while they were being removed from the site.
Several people have been detained and some injured police admitted to hospital. The incident comes days after some people staged a similar protest from that spot. The development came as the air quality in Delhi remained ‘very poor’ over the past 24 hours. The national capital has been witnessing toxic levels of air quality in recent times.
But what happened? How did the protest over poor air turn ugly?
Let’s take a closer look
Protesters gather at India Gate, raise slogans
Police said the demonstrators, mostly young people, sat on the main road at India Gate for around an hour. According to reports, members of the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air and members of several student groups were among the protesters.
Police said that despite being asked to vacate the site, the protesters refuse d. This despite them not having a permit to protest and being told that the Supreme Court had designated Jantar Mantar and not India Gate as a protest site. An officer said the group then moved into the C-Hexagon area and tried to evade barricades meant to control movement.
The protesters reportedly called for authorities to come up with long-term solutions to the issue of pollution rather than mere ‘cosmetic changes’. Police claimed that the protesters were told that ambulances and medical staff were being blocked, but that they refused to relent.
“Some of the protesters had entered the C-Hexagon and attempted to cross the barricades put up to restrict movement. We tried to explain to them that many ambulances and medical personnel were stuck behind them and required emergency access, but they got very agitated,” a senior officer said.
They claimed that some of the protesters even chanted slogans in support of Madvi Hidma, a top Maoist leader killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh earlier this month. Hidma (51), his wife Madkam Raje, and four other Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in the Maredumilli forest in Alluri Sitaramaraju district of the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on the morning of November 18.
Hidma was responsible for some of the deadliest operations against security forces and senior politicians. This included the 2010 Dantewada attack that left 76 CRPF personnel dead, the 2013 Jhiram Ghati ambush that killed 27, including top Congress leaders, and the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur ambush in which 22 security personnel died.
The police allege that protesters chanted slogans like “Madvi Hidma Amar Rahe” and that one was even holding a poster that read: “From Birsa Munda to Madvi Hidma, the struggle of our forests and environment will go on”. The authorities said that sensing that matters could escalate they asked the protesters to disperse. However, the demonstrators refused to do so.
Police call incident ‘unprecedented’, protesters claim manhandling
Police said that when they attempted to remove the protesters, they were attacked with pepper spray. They said three to four police officers suffered injuries to their eyes and faces and were admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment.
DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla called the incident ‘unprecedented .’ “This was very unusual. For the first time, protesters used chilli spray on officers managing traffic and law and order,” Mahla said.
However, the police finally managed to remove the protesters from the spot. Police have taken nearly two dozen people into custody so far – six at the Kartavyapath Police Station and the remaining 17 at the Parliament Street Police Station.
“An FIR has been registered under various sections, including against the use of force against the police, road blockades, and the use of chilli spray,” Mahla told NDTV. He added that legal action would be taken against those raising Maoist slogans.
“Those who raised such slogans at India Gate will be identified, and legal action will be taken against them. We are taking legal action in this matter.”
Students, meanwhile, have accused the police of manhandling them and taking away their phones, allegations which the authorities have denied.
Political back-and-forth on, pollution levels remain high
Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra slammed the protesters, claiming that ‘jihadis’ and Maoists were now “becoming social activists”.
“Look at the reality of yesterday’s protests in Delhi. They held posters against pollution and chanted slogans like ‘Lal Salaam’ (Red Salute - a greeting used by communists). The new mask for jihadis and Naxalites is becoming social activists. Delhi has given a befitting reply to such ideology,” Mishra wrote on X.
BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain added, “Pollution was merely an excuse for the protest that took place in Delhi yesterday. Their real aim was to target the government over Hidma’s encounter. These are ‘urban Naxals’ who come in disguise, and these are ‘Protest Jeevis’… The way slogans were raised in support of Hidma is totally unacceptable… Action should be taken against such ‘Urban Naxals.’ Anyone raising a voice in support of Naxalites and terrorists in this country will not be spared.”
However, AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar described the situation in the city as “a national health emergency,” and called on the Centre to “act like a responsible government.” Kakkar claimed that the Centre has “taken no steps” to stop the crisis. She also demanded an emergency meeting with NCR Chief Ministers and Environment Ministers and claimed the government was “committing fraud regarding people’s health”.
Pollution levels remain high in Delhi
On Monday, pollution levels in Delhi touched an AQI of 396 or “Very Poor” across the city. The national capital witnessed a thick layer of haze despite the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-III being in effect across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
As per the CPCB, the Ghazipur area recorded an AQI of 441, while Anand Vihar’s AQI was at 440. India Gate too witnessed a thick layer of toxic smog. Bawana had an AQI of 434 at 7 am, while NSIT Dwarka recorded an AQI of 322, according to the data by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Visuals around AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital also showed a layer of toxic smog. Similar pollution levels were witnessed around ITO, Mayur Vihar and Akshardham Temple.
With inputs from agencies