Delhi Air Pollution Protest Turns Controversial with Maoist Posters.
A protest against Delhi’s worsening air pollution at India Gate on Sunday evening sparked controversy after demonstrators displayed posters of top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, killed in a police encounter in Andhra Pradesh last week.
The sit-in escalated as protesters attempted to block traffic and allegedly pepper-sprayed police officers trying to disperse them. Delhi Police have filed an FIR and launched a probe into how the posters appeared at the demonstration. Around 15–20 people have been detained so far.
Videos from the protest show participants sitting in the C-Hexagon area of India Gate, raising slogans against air pollution, while one person held a poster of Hidma. Security personnel asked the demonstrators to vacate, citing a Supreme Court order that designates Jantar Mantar—not India Gate—as the official site for protests.
Delhi Development Minister Kapil Mishra praised the police action, calling it “a befitting response to such an ideology” and accused the protesters of promoting Naxalite ideology under the guise of environmental activism.
The protest was organised by the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air, which criticised the Delhi government’s so-called “cosmetic measures,” including water sprinklers and cloud seeding. The group called the toxic air a “serious risk” to public health and argued that government inaction, rapid infrastructure expansion, and environmental degradation are worsening pollution and displacing communities.
This was the second major anti-pollution protest in Delhi this month. Earlier, on November 8, activists—joined by leaders from AAP and Congress—marched to India Gate as the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed 400. On Monday, Delhi’s AQI remained dangerously high at 397, while nearby Noida recorded an AQI of 413, both in the severe range.
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