Key Highlights
- Scores of people held a pro-police demonstration at India Gate after videos showed protesters raising slogans glorifying slain Maoist commander Madvi Hidma during an air-pollution protest.
- Delhi Police have arrested at least 22 people for allegedly assaulting officers, blocking roads, and using pepper spray; they have invoked BNS Section 197 for slogans “prejudicial to national integration.”
- Madvi Hidma, a top CPI (Maoist) commander, was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitaramaraju district on 18 November 2025, along with five others.
Opening Overview
Madvi Hidma a pro-police protest erupted at India Gate in New Delhi on Tuesday, just days after a demonstration against Delhi’s toxic air turned into a national controversy over slogans praising Maoist commander. Scores of citizens gathered at the Kartavya Path to show solidarity with the Delhi Police, holding placards that read “We support Delhi Police,” “Stop shielding anti-nationals,” and “Nation against Hidma,” in direct response to the alleged glorification of Madvi Hidma during Sunday’s pollution protest.
The original air-quality sit-in, organised under the banner “Delhi Against Clean Air,” was meant to highlight the capital’s hazardous smog, with Delhi’s 24‑hour average AQI hovering in the “Very Poor” category at 377 on 27 November 2025, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. However, videos from the event showed some participants raising slogans like “Lal Salaam Hidma” and displaying posters of Madvi Hidma, turning the civic protest into a flashpoint over national security and extremist ideology. Delhi Law Minister Kapil Mishra seized on these clips, alleging that the protest had been hijacked to glorify Madvi Hidma and accusing “Jihadis and Naxalites” of using environmental activism as a new mask.
Delhi Police responded by arresting at least 22 people for allegedly assaulting personnel, obstructing officers, blocking roads, and using pepper spray, while also adding Section 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to the FIR for assertions “prejudicial to national integration”. The case has now become a high-stakes legal and political battle, with authorities probing WhatsApp groups and social media chats to uncover what they describe as a planned conspiracy behind the India Gate protest.
How the India Gate Protest Unfolded
On Sunday, 23 November 2025, a group of students and activists gathered at India Gate under the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air to protest Delhi’s worsening winter smog, which had pushed the city’s AQI into the “Very Poor” range. According to the FIR registered at Kartavya Path police station, police had prior intelligence that a protest was being planned at India Gate, a site where demonstrations are not permitted; the designated protest venue in the capital is Jantar Mantar, as per Supreme Court guidelines.
When officers reached the spot, they found a mixed crowd carrying banners and pamphlets against pollution, with slogans like “Delhi Sarkar Hosh Mein Aao” (Delhi government, wake up). Police issued repeated warnings, citing Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which prohibits unauthorised protests, and asked the group to disperse. Despite these warnings, several protesters allegedly climbed over barricades and entered the C‑Hexagon area, blocking traffic for over an hour and refusing to leave.
As police moved in to clear the area, a confrontation broke out. Officers claimed that some protesters became aggressive, allegedly assaulting personnel and using bottles containing pepper spray, which led to injuries among at least 10 police staff who were taken to RML Hospital. A second FIR was later registered at Parliament Street police station, alleging that a group of 18–20 people blocked the main gate of the station, raised slogans against the government and police, and caused fear and distress among staff and the public.
Delhi Police have since arrested 22–23 individuals in connection with the violence, including students from Delhi University and other institutions, and have sent several to judicial or police custody for further interrogation. Authorities are now scrutinising seized mobile phones and messages from WhatsApp groups with over 200–340 members, which they believe were used to coordinate the protest and plan illegal activities.
INDIA GATE ANTI NATIONAL SLOGAN CASE
— Avinash K S🇮🇳 (@AvinashKS14) November 26, 2025
🔴Patiala House Court has granted 03-day police custody to the 06 accused persons.
🔍 BACKGROUND:
Urban Naxals were holding posters of Naxalite commander Madvi Hidma and were chanting anti-national slogans during protests at India Gate.
+1 pic.twitter.com/587c6hOYKq
Madvi Hidma: Who Was the Maoist Commander?
Madvi Hidma, born in 1981 in Sukma, Chhattisgarh, was a senior commander of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and one of India’s most wanted insurgents, carrying a reward of ₹50 lakh. He served as the youngest member of the Central Committee and was Secretary of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, overseeing Maoist operations in the Bastar region and adjoining parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana.
Madvi Hidma was believed to be the mastermind behind at least 26 major armed attacks on security personnel and civilians. These included the 2010 Dantewada ambush, in which 76 CRPF personnel were killed, and the 2013 Jhiram Valley massacre that targeted political leaders. He led the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1, the Maoists’ deadliest battalion in the Dandakaranya forest belt.
On 18 November 2025, Madvi Hidma was killed during a pre-dawn encounter in the Maredumilli forest area of Alluri Sitaramaraju district, Andhra Pradesh, alongside five other Maoists including his wife Madakam Raje. The operation was based on intelligence inputs about Maoist movements near the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, and involved a brief gun battle early in the morning.
The CPI (Maoist) has rejected the official narrative and alleged that Hidma and his wife were captured alive, tortured, and killed in a staged encounter, demanding an independent inquiry. However, the Chhattisgarh Police have praised the operation, calling Madvi Hidma’s death a significant blow to the Maoist insurgency in the region.
Delhi Police’s Case: Slogans, BNS Charges, and Conspiracy Probe
Delhi Police have filed two key FIRs related to the India Gate protest. The Kartavya Path FIR accuses protesters of blocking the C-Hexagon area, refusing to disperse, assaulting police, and using pepper spray, causing injuries. Crucially, it alleges that some protesters raised slogans supporting Naxalites and displayed posters of Madvi Hidma, leading to the inclusion of Section 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which penalises actions prejudicial to national integration.
Police allege that the protesters used the platform both to protest pollution and to support Naxalism and terrorism. Investigations have identified two female students as chief organisers, with involvement from student groups like Himkhand and Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch, who reportedly planned activities via WhatsApp groups with hundreds of members.
So far, authorities have seized 23 mobile phones for forensic analysis and noted that many arrested individuals gave false addresses to conceal their identities. The prosecution argues the protest was a premeditated effort to cause unrest by shifting the narrative toward Naxalite sympathies rather than genuine pollution concerns.
#pollution issue is getting polluted Raising voice against pollution is essential.
— Anu Lall (@anulall) November 24, 2025
The issue is getting hijacked by supporters of extremist violence.
Protestors are chanting in favour of terrorists like #Madvi #Hidma, responsible for multiple killings
This is not activism.… pic.twitter.com/a6LbUObKtp
Political Fallout and Public Reaction
The incident sparked strong political reactions, with Delhi Law Minister Kapil Mishra condemning the protesters for allegedly glorifying Madvi Hidma and alleging that “Jihadis and Naxalites” were using protests as a cover for extremist agendas. Opposition student groups such as the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) have denied involvement and called police charges malicious.
Scientists for Society, a participant in the original “Delhi Against Clean Air” protest, stated their sole focus was pollution and rejected the use of the platform for unrelated political slogans. The pro-police protest held a day later at India Gate attracted a smaller crowd and was peacefully dispersed by police.
The events have reignited debate over the right to protest, balancing environmental activism with national security, and the overarching challenge of addressing extremism within civic movements.
Closing Assessment
The India Gate incident demonstrates how an environmental protest can escalate into a national security issue when slogans praising a figure like Madvi Hidma emerge. Delhi’s air quality remains dangerously poor, fueling genuine public frustration. However, the exploitation of such platforms to glorify a Maoist commander implicated in deadly attacks has compelled authorities to apply stringent legal provisions and thoroughly investigate the role of radical elements in civic protests.
As police continue to examine social media coordination and organizational links, the core question remains whether the calls in support of Madvi Hidma were spontaneous or orchestrated. This episode underscores the sensitive tension in Indian democracy between protecting freedom of speech and ensuring national unity amid ideological divides. Madvi Hidma’s death marks an end of an era in the Maoist insurgency, while the India Gate protests reveal ongoing fault lines in the country’s political and social fabric.
