Tehseen Poonawalla, who describes himself as a political analyst and consultant, alleged on Saturday that Delhi Police had placed him under house arrest ahead of his planned protest march and hunger strike against the government’s E20 petrol policy. The previous day, Poonawalla had announced that he would walk to Delhi’s Gandhi Smriti to hold a silent protest and begin a hunger strike opposing the policy, Hindustan Times reported.
On Saturday, he posted a series of messages on social media showing police personnel stationed outside his residence. He claimed that he had been confined to his home and also criticised Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.
In one of the videos he shared on X, Poonawalla is seen questioning a police officer, asking how he could be detained without any official paperwork.
“Guys, Delhi Police has detained me!!! They have put me under house arrest with NO PAPERS!!” he wrote in an X post.
In another post targeting Gadkari, he wrote: “An entire battalion of Delhi Police, including women officers, has put me under house arrest! Nitin Gadkari is scared of ethanol.”
In one post on X, Poonawalla claimed that a Delhi Police officer informed him that the force had received “orders from the top” to place him under house arrest.
In another video he shared, the police officer can be heard saying there were “chances of law being broken” if large numbers of people gathered and joined the activist during the protest against the E20 policy.
Following the Cockroach Janta Party’s sustained agitation over exam paper leaks, which ultimately led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Tehseen Poonawalla has sought to harness public outrage against the introduction of E20 petrol.
The government’s rollout of E20 petrol, a blend containing 80% petrol and 20% ethanol, has faced sharp criticism from opposition parties and consumer groups alike.
A key demand being raised by Poonawalla and his Team Bharat, which is spearheading the campaign against E20, is that 100% petrol, E5, and E10 fuels should continue to be available so that motorists retain the freedom to choose.
Bureau Report
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