About 15 people were arrested after they used pepper spray on police personnel at an air pollution protest at the India Gate on Sunday. They were booked under sections of assaulting police, obstructing government work and blocking roads under the FIR.
The protests started with some youth gathering at the C-hexagon to peacefully demand clean air. The protests appeared peaceful; however, reports say that the atmosphere changed and demonstrators reportedly began chanting “Long Live Madvi Hidma.”
Hidma was an Indian Naxal leader who was once the youngest member of the Central Committee of the communist party of India Maoist in Chhattisgarh.
Reports say that Hidma was responsible for at least around 26 attacks on security forces in the state. He was was on the NIA's list of most wanted criminals and had a bounty of Rs 50 lakh on his head. He is believed to be the mastermind behind the 2010 Dantewada massacre, the deadliest attack by the Maoists on Indian security forces. Hidma was killed on November 18 in a police encounter in Andhra Pradesh along with his wife Raje.
Visuals from the protests showed the protesters holding signs that said “Long live Madvi Hidma” and "From Birsa Munda to Madvi Hidma, the struggle for our forests and environment will go on".
One protester who spoke to reporters said, "Hidma is a tribal who took up arms to fight for his rights. People may disagree with this approach and call it wrong, but they cannot deny the reason behind it. The fight against corporatisation is the tribals' fight. It is a fight for the water, forests, lands. For this reason, Narayan Kanha cannot be called anti-national. Such atrocities cannot be committed against those who are defending their rights."
The Delhi police said they arrested 15 people from the crowd after they allegedly refused to disperse. They also said that the protesters used chilli spray on police personnel while officers tried to remove them from the spot.
They also said they will take action against those who raised the Naxalite slogan during the protests. Police are investigating how the slogans appeared during the air pollution protests.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla said that for the first time, chilli spray was used against police personnel during such a kind of agitation.
Police say that around three to four personnel sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment.