The Delhi Police told a city court on Monday that the students who were involved in the clashes during the anti-pollution protest at India Gate on November 23 had allegedly coordinated through five WhatsApp groups, with some messages that prompted support for Naxal leader Madvi Hidma being shared.

On November 28, the Delhi Police re-arrested eight students in a second FIR filed at the Kartavya Path police station.

These details were shared before judicial magistrate first class Aridaman Singh Cheema while the court was hearing the bail pleas of six accused students. In their additional reply, the police listed five WhatsApp groups, which were Coordination Group for Protest 23rd, DU Against Air Pollution, SFS Air Pollution Protest, bsCEM, and Himkhand Announcements. It noted that all the accused were members, and some were administrators.

The prosecution said that one chat showed a protester asking why an air pollution protest was turning into support for Hidma. The prosecutor told the court, "The accused responded that the protest was about the killing of Hidma and others who protected the environment."

Investigators said they had also found a social media video that showed ten people on a stage singing in praise of the Radical Students Union (RSU) and then raising slogans that allegedly supported the RSU and Naxal leaders. The police said they had identified three of the people seen raising the slogans and that their mobile locations were traced to Hyderabad and Bastar.

The police added that they were still checking the organisers of a conference in Hyderabad where some of these individuals had reportedly taken part, their invitations, their places of stay, and any possible links with Naxal workers. They also said the accused had not been cooperating with the inquiry.

The police reply also described the roles of the accused. One student named Aahan Upadhyay was described as an editorial member who allegedly helped in preparing digital posters and editing messages shared in the groups.

Challenging the police version, advocate Syed Pasha, who represented one of the accused, said the police were not presenting the full picture. He argued, "The accused only supported those who protected the environment, not any violent methods."

The court adjourned the matter to Tuesday for more arguments.

On November 28, the Delhi Police re-arrested eight students in a second FIR at the Kartavya Path police station just a few hours after they were granted bail in another case linked to the same protest at the Parliament Street police station.