Delhi Court Sends Three Protesters to Police Custody, Seven to Jail in India Gate Pepper Spray Case

A Delhi court on Monday remanded three protesters—Ravjot, Gurkirat, and Kranti—to three days of police custody for their alleged role in deploying pepper spray against on-duty officers during last month’s anti-pollution demonstration at India Gate, while simultaneously sending seven others to judicial custody for periods ranging from three to seven days in a case that has rapidly escalated into accusations of extremist affiliations.

Judicial Magistrate First Class Aridaman Singh Cheema imposed strict conditions on the custody of four women defendants, including lead accused Ayisha Wafiya, limiting any interrogation to female investigating officers only. The directive followed disturbing submissions by defence counsel that the women had endured sexual harassment and explicit rape threats from male personnel during earlier detention, allegations that cast a sharp spotlight on police conduct in the high-profile case.

Delhi Police justified their demand for prolonged custodial interrogation by presenting evidence that several arrested students had attended a February conference organised by the banned Radical Students’ Union in Hyderabad, alongside video footage of protesters allegedly raising slogans in solidarity with deceased Maoist commander Madvi Hidma. Investigators further cited recovered WhatsApp chats demonstrating coordinated planning, expensive smartphones seized from the accused, and the necessity to trace unexplained funding sources for interstate travel and protest logistics.

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Defence lawyers mounted a vigorous counter-argument, asserting that their clients had cooperated fully during previous interrogations, that all electronic devices were already in police possession, and that no possibility of evidence tampering remained. They accused the police of investigative lethargy, pointing out that despite more than a week of prior custody, authorities had failed to identify who actually supplied the pepper spray used at the venue—an omission that undermined claims of needing additional custodial time.

The proceedings stem from the arrest of 23 individuals across two separate FIRs lodged at Parliament Street and Kartavya Path police stations following chaotic scenes at India Gate and a subsequent scuffle outside a police station. With fifteen of the original seventeen detainees re-arrested under the more serious Kartavya Path case, the episode has transformed a student-led environmental protest into a contentious national security investigation, intensifying debate over protest rights and the boundaries of state response.

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