Venture capitalist, political analyst and consultant Tehseen Poonawalla is in the spotlight after alleging that the Delhi Police placed him under house arrest ahead of his planned protest against the Centre’s E20 ethanol-blended fuel policy.

On Saturday, he shared videos and posts on X claiming that Delhi Police personnel, including women officers, were stationed outside his residence, preventing him from leaving.

As Poonawalla makes headlines over the protest, here’s a look at his academic journey, career and public life.

Tehseen Poonawalla completed his early schooling in Pune, Maharashtra, where he was raised.

According to publicly available biographical information, Tehseen Poonawalla completed his schooling in Pune, Maharashtra. He is reported to have pursued higher education at MIT Pune (now MIT World Peace University), where he studied Law and Politics.

Tehseen Poonawalla began his professional journey as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist before establishing himself as one of India’s most recognisable political commentators.

He has also contributed opinion pieces to newspapers and digital publications and has delivered talks at public forums, including TEDx events.

Beyond television, Poonawalla has been involved in public interest litigation and social activism, filing petitions in the Supreme Court on issues ranging from governance to transparency. He is also associated with the Poonawalla Foundation as its CEO, according to his public profile.

Poonawalla has also appeared on reality television. In 2019, he entered Bigg Boss 13 as a wild-card contestant. In 2022, he participated in Lock Upp, hosted by Kangana Ranaut, further expanding his public profile beyond political commentary.