Poonawalla alleges house arrest before solo E20 protest

Who is this about? Tehseen Poonawalla (Team Bharat). He has been campaigning against forced E20 petrol and asking for fuel choice at pumps.

What did he plan on 1 August? After the Gaadi March was cancelled on 31 July, he announced a solo walk to Gandhi Smriti in Delhi, followed by a silent protest (maun vrat) and a hunger strike against the E20 policy.

What does he say happened? On Saturday morning around 9.30 AM, about half an hour before he was to leave, Delhi Police officers — including women officers — came to his Greater Kailash home and stopped him from going out. He posted videos on X (@tehseenp) and said he was under house arrest with “no papers, no documents.”

What did police say in the videos? An officer said the announced protest could create a law and order problem if many people joined, and asked him to cooperate. Poonawalla said he was told orders had come “from the top.” Delhi Police had not issued a detailed public reply in early reports.

Other claims he made: journalists outside faced internet problems (he alleged jammers), he was stopped from speaking to media, and his Instagram was suspended for some hours then restored. These are his allegations, reported by IE, The Hindu, TOI and ET.

Simple takeaway: On the same day as Kejriwal’s town hall, Poonawalla’s solo protest was blocked at home, according to him and multiple newspapers. Separate from AAP’s programme.