Eliminated Maoist commander Madvi Hidma on Sunday became the center point of Delhi Air Pollution protests. According to reports, a demonstration over Delhi’s worsening air pollution at India Gate on Sunday evening escalated into controversy after protesters displayed posters of top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, who was killed in a police encounter in Andhra Pradesh last week.
Tensions rose when the group attempted to block traffic and allegedly used pepper spray on police officers trying to disperse them. An FIR has been registered and a broader investigation is underway into how the Hidma posters appeared at the site.
Delhi Police has now arrested 15 protesters for allegedly attacking government officials, following reports that demonstrators opposing toxic air had sprayed chilli on personnel stationed at India Gate the previous day.
Police Disperse Delhi Air Pollution Protest, Poster of Madvi Hidma Appear
As the sit-in continued, security personnel reached India Gate and instructed protesters to leave. When the group refused to vacate, officers began removing them individually.
A photograph from the November 23 protest went viral on social media, showing a young demonstrator pinned face-down on the pavement while a police officer presses his hand against the protester’s face. The image circulated shortly after some participants were seen holding posters of Hidma during their call for urgent action on Delhi’s deteriorating air quality.
#WATCH | Delhi: A group of protesters holds a protest at India Gate over air pollution in Delhi-NCR. They were later removed from the spot by police personnel pic.twitter.com/DBEZTeET0U
— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2025
‘Long Live Hidma’ Slogans Reportedly Raised
The demonstration, initially organised to highlight the alarming Air Quality Index (AQI), saw some protesters chanting slogans such as “Long Live Hidma,” according to reports. Police said the crowd was cleared from India Gate because a Supreme Court order designates Jantar Mantar as the authorised site for protests.
दिल्ली में कल हुए प्रोटेस्ट का सच देखिए
हाथ में पोस्टर पॉल्यूशन के नाम के
मुंह में नारे लाल सलाम केजिहादी और नक्सलियों का नया मुखौटा – सोशल एक्टिविस्ट बनना
दिल्ली ने ऐसी विचारधारा को मुंहतोड़ जवाब दिया है pic.twitter.com/HKvAlihxGX
— Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) November 24, 2025
According to officers, a section of the demonstrators used chilli spray on personnel, injuring three to four policemen who were taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
DCP Devesh Kumar Mahla told PTI that the incident was unprecedented, noting that “several officers had been sprayed in the eyes and face.” Police said an FIR has been filed for obstructing government work, and investigators will examine how Hidma’s posters were circulated at the protest.
Delhi Air Pollution Protest
The gathering was organised by the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air, which accused the Delhi government of relying on “cosmetic measures” such as water sprinklers and cloud seeding to address the capital’s toxic air.
“When the state makes the air itself poisonous, it becomes necessary for people to unite and raise their voices for their own survival,” the group said in a statement, describing the city’s air as a “serious risk” to public health.
On Monday, Delhi’s AQI again hovered close to the ‘severe’ category, recording 397. Out of the city’s 39 air-quality monitoring stations, 20 registered severe pollution.
Who Was Madvi Hidma?
Madvi Hidma, among the most feared Naxal commanders and a key strategist of the CPI (Maoist), was killed on November 18 during an encounter in the Maredumilli forests of Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
Security forces said his group was intercepted while fleeing from Chhattisgarh following weeks of intelligence alerts about Maoist movement along the tri-state border.
Born in Purvati village in south Sukma, Hidma joined Maoist ranks after Class 10 and rose to lead People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army Battalion 1 while also serving on the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. He was linked to at least 26 major attacks in Bastar and carried a bounty of over ₹1 crore.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
