Several detained at India Gate during clean air protest as Delhi’s AQI remains very poor

Authorities detained several individuals on Sunday afternoon after a group assembled near India Gate to demand stronger government measures against air pollution.

The participants, calling the situation an “air emergency,” urged immediate policy action. Some women attended the protest with their children, carrying nebulisers and medical prescriptions to highlight the health impact of pollution.

Videos and posts on social media showed police moving people into buses. A post on X stated, “India Gate clean-air protest. We are being taken away, shoved into a bus.” A few participants alleged they were manhandled and that some children were also detained. Police, however, rejected these claims.

DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla said the protesters were repeatedly asked to relocate to Jantar Mantar, the designated site for demonstrations.

“When they did not comply and continued blocking Man Singh Road, we intervened and detained them before reopening the road for the public,” he said, adding that only those obstructing traffic were held and later released.

In a statement, the group sought “urgent, accountable and transparent action” from the Delhi government, calling for an independent air regulator, public access to real-time air quality data, clear health advisories during high-pollution days, and accountability in the use of funds allocated to combat pollution.

They described clean air as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari, who was part of the gathering, said, “It is unfortunate that about a hundred citizens were detained. Ironically, many woman police personnel identified with the protesters as they, too, struggle to breathe the same toxic air. However, we saw many people without masks. That’s the real tragedy.”

Delhi’s Air Quality Worsens

On Monday morning, Delhi woke up to a thick layer of smog as temperatures dropped to 11.6°C and air quality remained in the “very poor” range. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 6:05 am showed an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 346.

Several monitoring stations recorded alarming levels — Bawana (412), Wazirpur (397), Jahangirpuri (394), and Nehru Nagar (386), according to CPCB’s Sameer app. This marked the fourth consecutive day of deteriorating air quality, edging closer to the “severe” category.

On Sunday, Delhi’s average AQI was 370 — the season’s second-worst after October 30, when it touched 373. Pollution levels eased slightly by evening due to wind activity. The share of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana to Delhi’s PM2.5 levels fell from 8% on Saturday to around 5% on Sunday.