Echoes of Bastar? Why Hidma’s name appeared at a Delhi protest on air pollution

By Renuka Kumari*  

Madvi Hidma, a senior member of the banned CPI (Maoist) and former commander of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army’s Battalion 1, was reported killed in an encounter on 18 November 2025. CPI (Maoist) sources have described the incident as a “fake encounter,” while the government has maintained that it was the result of an intelligence-based operation. 

The incident drew wider attention when, on 23 November 2025, some participants at a student-led protest at India Gate — held to raise concerns about air quality in Delhi — displayed posters featuring a hand-drawn image of Hidma. The posters carried the slogan, “From Birsa Munda to Madvi Hidma, the struggle for our forests and environment goes on.” The state did not possess verified photographs of Hidma until late 2024.

The demonstration was organized under the banner of the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air, a platform consisting of student and labour groups. A previous gathering at the same location on 9 November 2025 involved more than 500 participants. Protesters highlighted the rise in Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI), citing studies that link prolonged exposure to air pollution with adverse health effects, including reduced life expectancy and concerns over child development.

Participants also criticized the recurring attribution of Delhi’s pollution to stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, an agricultural practice known locally as parali burning. While government agencies have identified crop-residue burning as one contributing factor, many of the Delhi protesters argued that industrial emissions and large-scale construction activities within the city are more significant sources of pollution. Their demands included the resignation of Delhi’s Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the formation of community-based committees to oversee environmental planning, restrictions on polluting industrial activity with compensation for affected workers, and free bus services to promote public transport.

A section of the protesters further stated that these measures would provide only temporary relief and connected environmental concerns to their broader political perspectives, including calls for systemic change and references to “New Democratic revolution” and “Janathana Sarkars,” terms associated with Maoist political ideology.

Following the demonstration, Delhi Police arrested 17 students, alleging that some had used pepper spray against police personnel, with several officers reportedly hospitalized. The arrests led to public discussion about the presence of Hidma’s image at the protest and the broader question of why certain students identify with Maoist figures. Supporters of the students stated that displaying such imagery should not be considered unlawful. Critics of the protest, including some left-leaning groups, characterized certain slogans and actions as “left adventurism,” a term used in internal political debates.

In Bastar and other forested regions, CPI (Maoist) groups frame their activities around the slogan “jal-jangal-jameen-izzat-adhikar” (water, forest, land, dignity, rights). Supporters argue that the protection of forests by Adivasi communities is linked to wider environmental concerns. They also cite recent land-related disputes, including allegations that private industrial interests have acquired approximately 127 acres in three Abhujmaad villages (Dharma, Bel and Markapal) following the encounter in which Hidma was killed. Government agencies have not publicly confirmed these specific allegations.

Some student organizations also referenced past instances in which activists reported experiencing mistreatment in police custody. In November 2025, several students held a press conference alleging that they had been subjected to torture during an earlier detention in July. The Delhi Police have denied wrongdoing in previous similar cases, and investigations are ongoing.

For many of the protesters, the link between environmental issues, civil liberties, and land rights formed the basis of their participation. Opponents of their stance argued that associating environmental activism with armed insurgent figures risks normalizing political violence. Supporters contended that the focus should remain on the right to dissent and on issues of ecological degradation.

The debates surrounding the 17 arrested students, the relevance of Hidma’s image at an air-quality protest, and the larger conversation on environmental governance reflect ongoing tensions between state policies, civil society activism, and differing ideological interpretations of development.

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*PhD Scholar at Lady Shri Ram College