Activist alleges house arrest by Delhi Police on day of E20 fuel protest

Activist Tehseen Poonawalla on Friday alleged that he was placed under house arrest by Delhi Police personnel without any written order, ahead of his proposed solo march and hunger strike against the Centre's E20 fuel policy.

Mr. Poonawalla had announced on July 27 that he would walk alone from APJ Abdul Kalam Marg to Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg — the site where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated — and observe a day-long hunger strike on July 31.

Sharing several videos on his X account, Mr. Poonawalla claimed that around 9:30 a.m., about half an hour before he was scheduled to leave, several Delhi Police personnel, including women officers, arrived at his house in Greater Kailash and stopped him from stepping out. He said the police neither showed him any order nor provided any documents for detaining him.

In one of the videos, Mr. Poonawalla is heard asking a police officer how he could be detained without a written order. He says, "No papers, nothing. I am under house arrest... You are detaining me 15 days before Independence Day." A police officer responds that the proposed march could have led to a law and order situation and asks Mr. Poonawalla to cooperate.

Mr. Poonawalla also alleged that journalists present outside his flat had informed him they were unable to access the internet because jammers were installed near the house. He further claimed that his Instagram account was temporarily suspended, and alleged that Delhi Police threatened that citizens joining the protest could be arrested and their vehicles seized.

Earlier, Mr. Poonawalla had announced the solo march after the police allegedly denied permission for his proposed Team Bharat "Gaadi March" to Parliament on July 31. The activist's campaign group, Team Bharat, has been vocal in opposing the mandatory E20 fuel rollout.

"Walking alone and sitting alone in silence is not a violation of any law. I will sit at the spot where Bapu was assassinated in maun vrat, observing a day-long hunger fast," Mr. Poonawalla had said while announcing the protest.

The activist has been campaigning against the E20 fuel policy, which mandates blending 20% ethanol with 80% petrol, and has criticised Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari over the issue. He has demanded that consumers be given the option of purchasing conventional petrol along with E5 and E10 fuel blends instead of being required to use E20 fuel.

One of the principal demands of his campaign group, Team Bharat, is that fuel stations continue selling 100% petrol, E5 and E10 fuels so that motorists can choose the fuel best suited to their vehicles. The Centre's E20 rollout has drawn criticism from some opposition leaders and consumer groups, with several owners of older vehicles claiming it reduces fuel efficiency and increases maintenance costs.

Delhi Police has not yet issued an official statement regarding the activist's allegations. The officer's remarks cited above are part of Mr. Poonawalla's video account.