Commentator Tehseen Poonawalla claims he is under house arrest ahead of protest against E20 fuel

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Political commentator Tehseen Poonawalla on Saturday alleged that police had put him under house arrest at his home in Delhi ahead of his planned protest against petrol being blended with 20% ethanol.

Poonawalla was scheduled to begin a vow of silence and a hunger strike at the Gandhi Smriti in the national capital to protest against the government’s Ethanol Blended Petrol programme.

The Union government’s programme currently mandates the sale of petrol blended with 20% ethanol. The policy is part of India’s broader energy transition strategy aimed at reducing dependency on fossil fuels, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting income for sugarcane farmers.

However, consumers have complained that the new fuel mix damages engines and reduces their mileage.

Speaking with reporters on Saturday, the commentator claimed that the police informed him that he had been put under house arrest because “thousands of protesters” were to participate in the protest.

The police had not provided him any documents explaining the action, Poonawalla alleged.

“An entire battalion of Delhi Police cops including women officers have put me under house arrest!” Poonawalla alleged on social media, adding that Union minister Nitin Gadkari “is scared” of the protest against the ethanol policy.

On Thursday, Poonawalla claimed...

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