Delhi Police has registered an FIR after large numbers of dead fish were found in the Yamuna near Sonia Vihar, bringing renewed attention to river pollution concerns just before Chhath festivities. The case was registered at Wazirabad police station on a complaint from the Irrigation and Flood Control Department against unidentified people.
According to officials quoted in the report, the complaint followed videos of the dead fish circulating on social media. The police case includes provisions related to mischief and spreading misleading information. The Delhi Jal Board has also approached the police over alleged misinformation about chemicals being released into the river and sought action against unidentified persons.
The videos showed large numbers of dead fish floating in the Yamuna near Sonia Vihar. The exact cause of the deaths has not yet been established. Allegations have emerged that poisonous substances may have entered the river, but the available report does not cite a laboratory finding confirming chemical contamination or identify a confirmed source of discharge.
The incident has also become a political dispute. Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma accused the Aam Aadmi Party of attempting to discredit the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, alleging that dead fish had been placed in the river to undermine the government’s efforts to clean the Yamuna. The AAP rejected the allegation and questioned the Delhi government’s claims about river-cleaning efforts.
Local residents have alleged that pollution from a tannery near the Hathnikund Barrage may have caused the fish deaths. That allegation has not been independently confirmed in the supplied report. Experts cited in the report said a sudden death of fish in large numbers could indicate a rise in pollution levels or the release of a toxic substance, but advised laboratory testing to determine the actual cause.
The development has added to concerns about the condition of the Yamuna ahead of Chhath, when devotees gather along riverbanks and other water bodies. It also follows the discovery of hundreds of dead fish along the Yamuna near Burari less than a month earlier, according to the report.
The immediate official action is the police investigation into the complaints filed by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department and the Delhi Jal Board. Determining whether the fish deaths resulted from pollution, a toxic discharge, deliberate interference or another cause will require the testing and evidence-gathering cited by experts and investigators.
