Chilli sprays, pro-Maoist posters, and over 22 arrests marked the anti-pollution protests in the national capital region on Sunday. What began as a protest against toxic air soon turned political, with protestors raising ‘long live Hadima’ slogans.

The Aam Aadmi Party questioned the BJP-led Delhi government's "inaction" on the pollution issue as the air quality stayed "very poor" in the region, raising concern among residents.

People had also gathered at the same location on November 9, urging the government to enforce strong measures to reduce air pollution in the NCR.

Visuals from the protests showed demonstrators holding posters of Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, who was recently killed in an encounter, adding a surprising twist to what was expected to be a civic protest.

"A protest was held this evening at C Hexagon, India Gate, over pollution. But the protesters were holding posters of Maoist commander Madvi Hidma. When they tried to block the road, the police tried to remove them, but they sprayed pepper spray on the police personnel and tried to attack them. The police are now taking legal action against them," ANI quoted Delhi Police as saying.

Hidma, a CPI(M) central committee member and the secretary of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, was killed on November 18 along with his wife, Rajje, and four other Maoists in the Maredumilli forests of Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district.

Security forces had said the group started firing during a cordon and search operation, which led to a long encounter.

Reacting to this, Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma said that the "children had no idea what they were actually talking about." His comments suggested that many of the young protesters may not fully understand the political messaging they were spreading.

"The children had no idea what they were actually talking about. They mentioned ‘Jantana Sarkar’, but they have neither seen it themselves nor understood its real impact. They are kids, they will understand eventually. Still, they need to learn how democracy functions, how real governments are formed, what their purpose and existence are, and how they actually operate," he said.

According to the Delhi Police, more than 15 protesters were arrested after they allegedly refused to disperse during a demonstration against rising pollution at the C Hexagon near India Gate. Police said the protesters blocked the road, obstructed official work, and even used chilli spray on police personnel, which shocked many onlookers.

"Some of the protesters gathered inside the C Hexagon and then tried to cross the barricade that we had put in place to restrict movement. However, they did not comply; they broke the barricade, came onto the road, and sat there...We requested them to move, as many ambulances and medical personnel were waiting behind them and required emergency access...We removed them from the C Hexagon to avoid disrupting traffic. During the removal, several protesters scuffled with the police, and many of our personnel were injured," ANI quoted Devesh Kumar Mahla saying.

An FIR was registered, and relevant sections were added for assaulting police officers, causing obstruction, and blocking public pathways.

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain criticised the demonstrators, calling them "professional protesters" for "raising slogans in support of Hidma". He claimed that their real motive was political rather than environmental.

"They came claiming to protest against pollution, but that was not their real purpose. Those with a 'polluted mind' began raising slogans in support of Hidma. We have always said that urban Naxals are present in cities as well," he said.

"In the forests, we have eliminated them, and whatever remains will also be finished. 'Professional protesters' always look for excuses against the government. Pollution was just a pretext; they aimed to promote Naxalism," he added.

"Under the pretext of pollution, some Naxalite elements staged a protest at India Gate and openly violated every norm of democracy. While protesting, they raised pro-Naxal slogans and sprayed chilli spray directly into the eyes of the police personnel on duty. This clearly shows it was a pre-planned conspiracy in which they failed. Such acts can never be accepted in a democracy," said BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal.

AAP leader Priyanka Kakkar, however, questioned the Delhi government and demanded an "emergency meeting" to address the pollution crisis, calling it a threat to public health.

"This is a national health emergency... the central government should act like a responsible government. It's been 10 months since they've been in Delhi. Have you heard a single step they've taken regarding pollution? Nothing at all," she said.

"They should call a meeting with all the Chief Ministers and the Environment Ministers of the NCR, hold an emergency meeting, lay out certain plans, and take certain steps... This government is committing fraud with people's health. That is why you are seeing citizens protesting again and again in Delhi, they, too, have understood the fraud of this government," she added.