Activist Tehseen Poonawalla alleged on Saturday that Delhi Police detained him at his residence, preventing him from participating in a planned protest. Poonawalla stated he was under "house arrest" ahead of a demonstration against escalating sugar prices and the Centre's E20 fuel policy.
Allegations of Detention and Protest Cancellation
Videos shared by Poonawalla on X (formerly Twitter) showed him confronting police personnel outside his home. He questioned why he was being stopped from traveling to Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site. A police officer informed him that his request to protest had been "cancelled" and cited concerns over a potential law-and-order situation if supporters joined him, suggesting "some wrong people" could be among them.
Poonawalla, founder of the citizen advocacy group Team Bharat, told India Today Digital that the planned protest aimed to be peaceful and target what he described as a "sugar scam." He asserted that policies leading to increased sugar prices were disproportionately benefiting politically connected families at the expense of consumers.
Sugarcane Juice Gesture and Policy Criticism
During the confrontation, Poonawalla offered sugarcane juice to the police officers stationed outside his home. This gesture, he explained, was intended to highlight his criticism of rising sugar prices and the broader ethanol policies, implying that even the cost of sugarcane juice could be affected.
Poonawalla has been a vocal critic of the government's E20 fuel policy, which mandates blending petrol with up to 20% ethanol. He argues that this policy negatively impacts vehicle owners and, coupled with sugar policies, places undue financial strain on household budgets. He alleges these policies enrich "kids of Netas" while ordinary citizens suffer.
Previous Incidents and Right to Protest
This incident follows a similar confrontation weeks prior when Delhi Police allegedly denied permission for Poonawalla's proposed "Gaadi March" to Parliament against the E20 policy. Poonawalla questioned the legal basis for his detention, stating no written order was presented, and asserted his right to peaceful protest.
His protests have consistently targeted the perceived "Sugar Scam" and "Ethanol Scam," which he claims are designed to benefit specific politically linked entities while increasing costs for the general populace.