Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 25: A day after the anti-pollution protest at India Gate descended into chaos, Scientists for Society (SFS) one of the groups claiming to co-organise the demonstration — has come under sharp criticism from social media users for its clarification on the violent turn of events.
The protest, held on Sunday under the banner ‘Delhi Against Clean Air’, began as a citizens’ movement highlighting the capital’s worsening pollution crisis. However, tensions escalated when a section of agitators allegedly attacked police personnel with chilli spray while being dispersed. The situation intensified further when a group began raising slogans in support of Madvi Hidma, a top Maoist commander killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh earlier this month.
In a statement released on Monday, SFS insisted that its participation was strictly focused on raising awareness about the pollution emergency confronting Delhi.
“We firmly believe that this protest was solely against air pollution… Our objective was to educate and mobilise people around this severe crisis,” the organisation stated.
SFS squarely blamed two other groups — Himkand and bsCEM (Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch) — for bringing in Maoist-related slogans that, it said, were unrelated and inappropriate in the given context.
The group acknowledged that while it believes alleged extra-judicial encounters involving Hidma should be investigated, the anti-pollution protest was not the platform for raising such issues. SFS added that the two organisations did not disclose their plan beforehand.
“As soon as we realised what was happening, we tried to stop them. When they refused, we distanced ourselves and continued the protest separately,” the statement said, calling the act “undemocratic” and against the protest’s common agenda.
The clarification, instead of calming tempers, drew widespread backlash online.
“You all have betrayed the trust placed by the good people of Delhi,” one user wrote, questioning whether SFS had any scientific credentials at all.
Another user criticised the groups for turning a citizen-driven pollution protest into a politically charged spectacle:
“I was so angry that those Maoists hijacked the innocent Delhi pollution protest… They gave the government an excuse to call it a leftist protest!”
Several users expressed outrage at SFS calling Hidma’s killing “extra-judicial,” with one remarking:
“Calling the killing of a terrorist ‘extrajudicial’ shows exactly where your sympathies lie.”
Others accused all participating organisations of operating with hidden agendas, calling their defence “hypocrisy” and “nonsense.”
Police: Protest Turned Violent, Cops Injured
Police officials said that the demonstrators had gathered at India Gate without permission, blocking the road for nearly an hour while raising slogans and waving placards.
When officers attempted to disperse the crowd, some protesters grew violent, broke barricades, and used chilli spray, injuring three to four policemen.
Legal action has been initiated over the violence and the pro-Hidma sloganeering.
With Delhi grappling with toxic air and rising public frustration, the incident has sparked a debate on the appropriation of civic protests by fringe groups — and whether such disruptions weaken genuine citizen movements.