Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has consistently remained in the ‘Severe’ category for days, crossing 400 in several areas and pushing the national capital into a full-blown public health emergency.
Frustrated with the lack of stringent action from both central and state governments, environmental activists, students, and concerned citizens gathered near India Gate to demand immediate measures against the recurring winter smog crisis.
However, the demonstration took an ugly turn when protesters blocked major roads, obstructed emergency vehicles including ambulances, and refused police requests to shift to the designated protest site at Jantar Mantar.
Tensions escalated as some individuals reportedly deployed pepper spray directly on police officers, injuring at least three to four personnel who had to be rushed to RML Hospital for severe eye irritation and facial burns.
More alarmingly, a group within the crowd began chanting “Madvi Hidma Amar Rahe” and displayed banners reading “From Birsa Munda to Madvi Hidma – the struggle for jal, jungle, zameen continues” and “Red Salute to Comrade Hidma”.
Madvi Hidma, considered one of the deadliest Maoist commanders operating in the Bastar region, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh on November 18. Security agencies had placed a ₹1 crore bounty on him for his alleged role in multiple deadly ambushes on CRPF jawans over the past decade.
Delhi Police has registered an FIR under sections related to obstructing public servants, assault on police, blocking public roads, and promoting enmity through extremist slogans.
At least 15–22 persons have reportedly been detained, and authorities are scrutinizing video footage to identify those who used pepper spray and raised Maoist-linked slogans.
The incident has sparked outrage and concern on multiple fronts. While the right to protest against life-threatening air pollution is unquestionable, the infiltration of radical extremist rhetoric and physical assault on duty-bound police personnel have completely overshadowed the original environmental cause.
Genuine climate activists now fear reputational damage, as the narrative has shifted from “Delhi can’t breathe” to “Maoist elements hijack anti-pollution protest”.
Environmental groups have distanced themselves from the violence and extremist slogans, reiterating that the fight for clean air must remain non-violent and focused.
Meanwhile, security experts warn that urban protests becoming platforms for Maoist propaganda indicate deeper ideological infiltration attempts in the capital – a trend that law enforcement agencies cannot ignore.
As Delhi chokes under a thick blanket of smog, the need for concrete anti-pollution measures – stricter enforcement of GRAP-IV restrictions, crackdown on stubble burning, and long-term industrial emission controls – has never been more urgent. Unfortunately, Sunday’s events at India Gate have only pushed these critical demands to the background.
The Delhi Police is likely to tighten security around high-visibility zones like India Gate and increase scrutiny of protest organizers in the coming days. Citizens, activists, and authorities must collectively ensure that legitimate public anger over deadly air pollution does not get hijacked again – neither by violence nor by extremist agendas.
Delhi’s air remains toxic, its people continue to suffer, and the real question – when will governments act decisively – still hangs unanswered in the hazardous haze.
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