Delhi AQI At Hazardous 400 Levels Amid Citizen Protests: What We Know So Far

Delhi police on Sunday detained dozens of people during a protest at India Gate in New Delhi, where citizens gathered with banners and raised slogans demanding action to tackle the recurring crisis of toxic air that blankets the capital and nearby areas every year.

"We have only one problem, and that is of clean air," said Neha, a protester wearing a mask, who gave only her first name.

"This problem has been going on for many years, but no action is being taken," she told news agency ANI.

Footage from ANI showed officers pulling demonstrators away, some carrying signs that read 'Breathing is killing us', while others shouted “Our right, clear air” as they were escorted onto buses and taken from the site.

Delhi's air quality index stood at 403 on Monday, placing it in the ‘hazardous' category.

Police said they ordered the area to be cleared because India Gate is not an authorised protest location, a stance later criticised by Opposition leaders.

"The right to clean air is a basic human right," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.

"The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by our Constitution. Why are citizens ... peacefully demanding clean air being treated like criminals?"

Environmental activist Bhavreen Khandari told PTI that the group had sought an appointment with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, but were refused.

Delhi's environment minister, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, said the government was taking steps to control pollution.

"We will continue every possible effort to rid us of pollution," he said in a statement posted on BJP Delhi's X handle. "This is the resolve of our government."

The state government is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.

Each winter, cold and dense air traps emissions from vehicles, construction activity and smoke, smothering the region in thick haze and triggering respiratory illnesses.

Efforts to use cloud seeding last month to induce artificial rain and reduce pollution did not succeed in producing rainfall.