Delhi civic house erupts in brawl: councillors smash mics, throw water and files; mayor escorted out

Full report

On October 22, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House meeting descended into chaos during a debate on air-pollution measures. Councillors of the BJP and AAP first exchanged heated words that escalated into a physical confrontation: water was thrown, files were flung into the air, microphones were damaged, and marshals had to intervene and escort Mayor Pravesh Wahi out of the chamber.

The trigger was ward development funds. Mayor Wahi announced a release of Rs 25 lakh per councillor, totalling Rs 2 crore for the financial year; AAP councillors rejected this and demanded an immediate hike to Rs 1 crore. Leader of the Opposition Ankush Narang led the protest, with several AAP councillors marching to the mayor's podium shouting slogans, forcing a five-minute adjournment.

According to multiple media reports, AAP councillor Shagufta Zubair reached the mayor's dais and attempted to break — and reportedly damaged — the microphone there; Narang was also seen trying to damage the equipment. Congress councillor Naziya Danish accused AAP of repeatedly disrupting proceedings, while AAP hit back calling her the BJP's "B-team."

Wahi said afterwards that the matter had been referred to the disciplinary committee and that councillors found guilty could face suspension. He accused AAP councillors of disrupting the discussion; AAP in turn demanded that Wahi and Danish apologise in the House for remarks made during the meeting.

Despite the mayhem, the House still approved 23 of the 24 proposals on the agenda, mostly concerning improved solid-waste-management services; the proposal on the Solid Waste Management Bylaws 2026 was deferred. Notably, Delhi's AQI hovered around 225 — "poor" — on October 22–23, and the Commission for Air Quality Management invoked Stage-I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-I) on October 21.