New Delhi: Frustrated with the capital’s toxic air, hundreds of Delhi residents took to the streets on Sunday at India Gate, demanding immediate government action on worsening pollution. Delhi Police detained dozens of protesters for holding a demonstration without permission.
The rare protest saw participants of all ages, including children, wearing masks and holding banners reading “Breathing is killing us” and “Our right, clean air.” One child’s placard poignantly stated: “I miss breathing.”
By Monday morning, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 345, classified as “very poor” by the Central Pollution Control Board. Several areas recorded AQI levels above 400, entering the “severe” category. Anand Vihar registered 379, while locations like Bawana hit 436.
Police defended the detentions, stating India Gate is not a designated protest site and action was necessary “to maintain law and order.” Officers were seen bundling protesters onto buses as crowds chanted slogans.
Opposition leaders criticized the crackdown. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by our Constitution. Why are citizens who have been peacefully demanding clean air being treated like criminals?”
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the government has initiated several measures aimed at tackling the city’s worsening air quality. “We will continue every possible effort to rid us of pollution,” he said in a statement.
Environmental activist Bhavreen Khandari told reporters that “every third child already has lung damage and may live nearly 10 years less than children growing up in cleaner air.”
Every winter, Delhi battles severe pollution as cold air traps construction dust, vehicular emissions, and smoke from crop burning in neighboring states. PM2.5 levels regularly surge to 60 times the WHO’s recommended daily guidelines.
With a population of nearly 30 million, Delhi remains among the most polluted capital regions in the world, year after year. Authorities tried using cloud seeding last month to bring artificial rain and clear the smog, but the effort showed little success.
The protest reflects growing public frustration over the annual crisis that causes respiratory illnesses and contributes to thousands of deaths each year.
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