Delhi Police have arrested one person after hundreds of dead fish were found near Sonia Vihar in the Yamuna, but the cause of the deaths remains unclear as authorities investigate the incident ahead of Chhath पूजा gatherings along the river.
The arrest followed a complaint from the Irrigation and Flood Control Department. The northern district police registered a first information report at Wazirabad police station under Sections 353, 352 and 240 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police said the arrested person was later released on bail.
The police have not disclosed the identity of the person arrested or stated what specific role the individual allegedly played in the incident. Authorities had earlier said that a case would be registered against unidentified people and that an investigation would be conducted to identify those involved.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Niharika Bhatta said the investigation would examine whether the incident was caused by deliberate action. She said strict action would be taken against anyone found to be involved, according to the report.
The precise reason for the fish deaths has not yet been established. The uncertainty has led to competing political claims. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party had placed dead fish in the river shortly before Chhath पूजा. Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma also alleged that dead fish were thrown into the Yamuna to discredit the Bharatiya Janata Party government’s efforts to clean the river.
The Aam Aadmi Party rejected the allegations and called for an investigation into how thousands of fish died. Its Delhi unit president said the complaint did not state that fish had been brought from elsewhere and argued that polluted water could have caused the deaths.
Local residents, according to news agency Bhasha, alleged that waste discharged from a tannery near the Hathnikund Barrage was responsible. That allegation has not been established by the investigation reported so far, and the supplied report does not cite an official finding linking the tannery to the deaths.
The incident has drawn attention because devotees are expected to visit different Yamuna ghats for Chhath पूजा. The police investigation, including the identification of other people allegedly involved and determination of the fish deaths’ cause, remains underway.
