Pro-Maoist Slogans at Anti-Pollution Protest Trigger Legal Action in Delhi

Delhi Police have filed charges against protesters for chanting pro-Maoist slogans and using pepper spray on officers during a demonstration at India Gate. The protesters face multiple charges, including those against national integration. The protest, initially for clean air, escalated into legal action involving 22 individuals in judicial custody.

The Delhi Police have charged a group of protesters with 'imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration' after they allegedly chanted pro-Maoist slogans and used pepper spray at officers during an anti-pollution demonstration at India Gate.

Two separate FIRs were registered: one at the Kartavya Path police station against six individuals and another at the Sansad Marg police station against 17 people. As stated by police, the additional charges relate to chants that praised slain Maoist leader Madvi Hidma.

Security forces had previously engaged in a confrontation that led to the killings of Hidma and five others. During the protest, despite police warnings, demonstrators disrupted traffic and some used pepper spray, resulting in injuries to officers and subsequent judicial charges under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

(With inputs from agencies.)