E20 row: Tehseen Poonawalla alleges Delhi Police house arrest ahead of protest
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New Delhi: Ahead of his planned protest march and hunger strike against the government’s E20 petrol policy, activist Tehseen Poonawalla on Saturday, August 1, alleged that the Delhi Police had placed him under house arrest.
Poonawalla posted several videos on X showing police personnel outside his residence.
In one of the videos, he said, “I am being arrested at GK1. No crime against me, no papers, no documents... nothing!”
“An entire battalion of Delhi Police, including women officers, has put me under house arrest! Nitin Gadkari is scared of ethanol,” Poonawalla wrote on X.
In another video, the activist is seen questioning a police officer over how he could be detained without any documents.
“Azaadi ke 15 din pehle aap mujhe detain kar rahe (I am being detained 15 days before Independence Day),” Poonawalla can be heard telling a police officer.
The officer responded that Poonawalla’s proposed protest march could create a law and order situation and asked him to cooperate.
Poonawalla had announced on Friday, July 31, that he would undertake a “solo” walk to Gandhi Smriti, stage a silent protest and begin a hunger strike against the E20 policy. The announcement came after authorities denied permission for his ‘Gaadi March’ earlier the same day.
A day earlier, Poonawalla had also claimed that his Instagram account was suspended.
Following the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest over the NEET examination paper leak, which eventually led to the then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stepping down, Poonawalla has been raising the issue of E20 petrol.
The government’s rollout of E20 petrol, a blend containing 80 per cent petrol and 20 per cent ethanol, has drawn strong criticism from the Opposition and consumer groups.
Poonawalla led the first protest against E20 on July 5.