Twenty-three individuals, including 12 girls and a minor, were apprehended by the Delhi Police for allegedly attacking officers during a protest against the toxic air in the capital. The demonstrators at India Gate allegedly assaulted police personnel with chilli spray and caused a major traffic jam.
They have been sent to judicial custody and will be lodged at Rohini Jail, while the minor will be held at a safe house. Police stated they are verifying the minor’s age.
The demonstrators were protesting on Sunday against the poor AQI in the national capital; however, they soon started shouting slogans for Naxalite Hidma—a top Maoist leader who was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh earlier this month.
Among those detained were an advocate, Sameer, and an independent journalist, the latter identified as Vishnu Shankar Tiwari.
Other protestors were identified as Akash, Prakash, Gurtirath, Ravjot, Kajol Kumari, Tanya Srivastava, and Elakhya.
The arrested included a student, Akshay ER, whose photo went viral during the protest, showing him being crushed by police personnel.
The police sought custodial remand for the accused, but the court rejected the plea, noting that all the protesters were students, and sent them to judicial custody instead.
Two separate FIRs have been lodged by the police in connection with the event.
Six accused, including the minor, were produced before the court of Arindam Singh Cheema. The court remanded the adults to judicial custody and sent the minor to a safe house.
Seventeen other protesters were produced before the court of Sahil Monga, which remanded them to three days of judicial custody. They will be produced again in court on November 27.
The protest was initially called to highlight the poor Air Quality Index (AQI). However, it escalated when participants began shouting slogans in support of the slain Naxalite, Hidma.
“The protest, which initially gathered to highlight pollution issues in the capital, escalated when a section of the demonstrators displayed posters in support of the late Naxalite Hidma. The situation intensified as they blocked the road at the India Gate circle,” said a police officer.
The police allege the protesters attacked them with chili spray, leading to the subsequent arrests.
One of the defense counsels, Advocate Nirbhaya Chauhan, argued that the police also thrashed the protesters. He contended that since all the accused were students, they should not be sent to custodial remand—an argument the court accepted. Chauhan also stated that there were visible marks on their bodies.
The police maintain that the protesters were carrying chilli spray, which they used in the attack.