22 arrested for using ‘pepper spray’ on Delhi Police during air pollution protest

The Delhi Police have arrested at least 22 people on charges of obstructing police personnel, assaulting them, and blocking a key road during a protest at India Gate over worsening air pollution levels in the national capital, an official said on Monday.
Police said two FIRs have been registered, one at Sansad Marg Police Station and another at Kartavya Path Police Station, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges related to assault, obstruction of public servants, and outraging the modesty of women.
According to the FIR filed at Kartavya Path, police had prior information that protesters under the banner of the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air were planning to assemble at India Gate. Officers were also informed that activists from student groups, including AISA and the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU), were likely to join the protest.
“When we reached the spot, we found a group of men and women carrying pamphlets and banners. They were informed that protests are not allowed at India Gate and that Jantar Mantar is the designated site for demonstrations, subject to prior permission,” said a senior police officer.
Despite repeated warnings, several protesters allegedly climbed over the barricades and entered the C-Hexagon, blocking the road for over an hour. As traffic piled up, commuters stuck in the jam also requested the protesters to clear the way, officials said.
The FIR further states that the protesters raised slogans, including “Hidma amar rahe”, “Kitne Hidma maroge, har ghar se Hidma nikalega”, “Hidma lal salaam”, and other Maoist slogans.
Police said they repeatedly informed the group that they were violating prohibitory orders and causing a public nuisance, but the situation continued to escalate.
“When police teams attempted to disperse them, the protesters misbehaved and assaulted personnel. A student even attacked the police, and during the scuffle, some used a bottle containing pepper spray on our officers,” the officer said. Several police personnel sustained injuries and were taken to RML Hospital for treatment.
The confrontation escalated further when some of those detained were taken to Parliament Street Police Station, where another scuffle reportedly broke out with escorting officers, police said.
Six people have been arrested under the FIR registered at Kartavya Path Police Station under sections 74 (assault to outrage a woman’s modesty), 79 (insulting modesty), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 132, 221, and 223.
The second FIR, registered at Parliament Street Police Station, includes charges under sections 223A (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant), 132 (assault on a public servant), 221 (obstruction), 121A (criminal conspiracy against the State), and 126(2) (wrongful restraint).
The Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air, in a statement, said the city’s deteriorating air quality posed a “serious risk” to public health and alleged that authorities were relying on “cosmetic measures” like water sprinklers, cloud seeding, and spraying near AQI stations instead of addressing the structural causes of pollution.
Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Monday remanded 17 of the arrested protesters to three days’ judicial custody in connection with the incident.