NEW DELHI: A peaceful clean-air protest at India Gate turned confrontational on Sunday afternoon when Delhi Police detained several parents, children, students, and environmental activists who had assembled to demand urgent action against the city’s escalating air pollution.
The demonstration, held under the slogan “Help Us Breathe,” drew families and youth carrying placards that read “I Miss Breathing” and “We Want Clean Air.” Many participants wore anti-pollution masks, while some parents carried nebulisers for their children a stark symbol of the capital’s worsening health crisis.
The protest coincided with Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) plunging into the “severe” category, enveloping the city in thick smog. Around 4 p.m., police detained dozens of protesters, citing the lack of prior permission for the gathering at a non-designated site.
Members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) joined the protest, marching alongside citizens to assert what they described as “the fundamental right to breathe clean air.” In a statement, JNUSU condemned the detentions, calling them “a direct assault on democratic rights.” The union demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees, including its President and Joint Secretary.
Opposition leaders also criticised the government’s handling of the protest. “The right to clean air is a basic human right,” said Rahul Gandhi, expressing concern over what he termed the suppression of peaceful civic movements.
Environmental experts reiterated that Delhi’s winter pollution stems from vehicular and industrial emissions, construction dust, and stubble burning in neighbouring states, aggravated by stagnant weather patterns. Protesters called the government’s Rs 3-crore ‘cloud seeding’ plan a publicity stunt, insisting only long-term policy reforms can curb pollution. With schools shut and respiratory illnesses rising, the India Gate protest reflected Delhi’s growing frustration and collective demand for clean air.