Activist Tehseen Poonawalla alleges house arrest ahead of march against E20 fuel policy
Activist Tehseen Poonawalla alleged that he was placed under house arrest by Delhi Police to prevent a solo march and hunger strike against the government's E20 fuel policy. Police cited potential law and order concerns as the reason for the restriction.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing tensions regarding the right to protest and the use of preventive detention by law enforcement.
Activist Tehseen Poonawalla on Saturday (July 1, 2026) alleged that he was placed under house arrest, without any written order, in Greater Kailash by the Delhi Police ahead of his proposed solo march and hunger strike against the BJP-led 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 Friday (July 31, 2026) against the policy.
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 for the march, several Delhi Police personnel, including women officers, arrived at his house and stopped him from stepping out.
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