As Delhi chokes under a blanket of smog, hundreds of citizens gathered at India Gate on Sunday to protest against the hazardous air pollution. The citizens demanded urgent intervention from authorities as air quality in many parts of the capital breached the 400 mark. The demonstrators, including common citizens, environmental activists and leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress, marched to India Gate and demanded the government to roll out a concrete and time-bound plan to address the worsening public health crisis.

The protest came a day after Delhi entered the “red zone”, with several neighbourhoods recording severe pollution levels that experts say can cause long-term respiratory damage even in healthy individuals.

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Speaking to PTI, environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari said, “We want to meet the elected officials. We had asked for an appointment with the Chief Minister, but our request was refused. So many parents are here because their children are suffering.” “Every third child already has damaged lungs; they will live nearly 10 years less than those growing up in cleaner air,” she said.

Another protester, Abhishek, said the government had failed to provide even the basic right to breathe clean air. “During (former chief minister) Sheila Dikshit’s term, Delhi was known as a green capital. Today, it ranks among the most polluted cities in the world. Politicians keep blaming each other instead of taking responsibility,” PTI quoted him as saying.

Police detain protesters

Videos circulating on social media show protesters being detained and escorted into police buses, with some alleging they were forcibly removed from the site. In one such video on X, the user showed how people were being detained by police in the bus.

Organised under the campaign #HelpUsBreathe, the protest called for stricter implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to tackle stubble burning and vehicle emissions. Delhi Police, however, denied permission for the gathering citing traffic and security concerns, and deployed forces to disperse the crowd.

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According to police, several protesters were detained for assembling without permission. “India Gate is not a protest site. The designated protest site in New Delhi is Jantar Mantar, as per the Supreme Court’s directions,” senior police officer Devesh Kumar Mahla told ANI. Mahla said the detentions were preventive in nature.