India Gate Protest: Delhi Court Sends 6 Students to 3-Day Police Custody Amid Probe Into Alleged Maoist Links
Delhi Police alleged use of pepper spray on personnel, blockage of public roads and the raising of slogans in support of banned Maoist groups
A Delhi Court on Wednesday sent six young accused; most of them college students, to three days of police custody in connection with the protest held near India Gate over air pollution, after the Delhi Police alleged use of pepper spray on personnel, blockage of public roads and the raising of slogans in support of banned Maoist groups.
Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Aridaman Singh Cheema of Patiala House Court granted police custody until Saturday, noting the seriousness of the allegations and the need to probe possible organisational links behind the protest.
The Court will hear their bail applications after the custodial period. Delhi Police had initially sought seven days’ custody.
During the hearing, senior officers Joint CP Deepak Purohit and DCP Devesh Mahla appeared in court. Police told the Court they needed time to send seized mobile phones to the Forensic Science Laboratory and examine WhatsApp groups allegedly used for mobilisation, including one with over 300 members. Three pepper spray cans were also recovered from three of the accused.
Mahla submitted that the protesters had raised slogans praising Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, who is accused of orchestrating the killing of 76 CRPF personnel, and alleged that the students had shown support for the banned Radical Students Union (RSU). “Free speech is permitted, but with reasonable restrictions,” he told the court.
Police also argued that the alleged raising of pro-Maoist slogans had to be examined against the backdrop of the November 10 blast near the Red Fort. “Educated individuals can also be brainwashed,” the prosecution said while seeking custody to trace possible co-conspirators, identify funding sources, and verify links to banned organisations under the UAPA.
JMFC Cheema noted in the order that, given the Red Fort blast and the nature of allegations, “the right of the investigating agency cannot be curtailed at a nascent stage.” The Court said a deeper probe was needed to unearth any larger conspiracy.
The defence, however, rejected the police’s claims as “vague allegations” meant to mislead the court. Counsel for the accused argued that none of the students were associated with RSU or any banned group, insisting that the protest was peaceful and unrelated to any extremist ideology. They also alleged custodial violence and sought preservation of CCTV footage. Some students displayed injuries in court, though police said medical reports recorded only minor abrasions caused during removal from the road.
One accused, Ahan Arun Upadhyay, sought leniency citing a physics examination scheduled the next day. Another submitted he was a practising lawyer and had been beaten in custody.
The JMFC remarked that the investigation must proceed and that questions of bona fide conduct could be addressed during the trial.
In total, 23 students were arrested in two FIRs; one at Parliament Street police station and another at Kartavya Path police station, relating to assault, obstruction of public servants and offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
At least seven Delhi University students, including members of the Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch and environmental collective Himkhand, are named in the FIRs.
Order Date: November 26, 2025
Bench: Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Aridaman Singh Cheema
[Inputs: ANI & Indian Express]