On Sunday evening, hundreds of residents of Delhi, choking under toxic air for several weeks now, came together at the India Gate to demand clean air for their children. The protest, led by parents, environmentalists, and students, wore gas masks, held copies of the Constitution, and carried children in their arms - a striking image of the city's worsening pollution crisis.
According to a report by The Hindustan Times, the protest, however, met heavy police deployment as officials claimed that the protest gathering was held without permission, and a number of protesters were detained. Videos on social media showed police bundling people, including those holding children, into buses.
Of the many videos that went viral from the protest, one particularly stood out - a clip where a police officer was overheard speaking to a protester, “Bache ko protest mein leke aaoge aap?” (Will you bring kids to the protest?), which somebody answered with, “Bacche saans nahi lete kya?” (Do kids not breathe?). The question instantly evolved as symbolic of the anguish of citizens because of the deteriorating air quality.
Also Read | ‘I request to close down schools’, Parents demand school closure as Gurgaon AQI crosses 800
Political blame game over Delhi's air crisis
Reacting to the protests, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa blamed the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration, alleging that the AAP-led government “made the air poisonous continuously for 10 years.” In a video statement, he said the new Rekha Gupta-led administration had been in power for only seven months and was working to reverse the damage.
Sirsa in a video message said, “I want to tell people that, the Rekha Gupta government installed anti-smog guns on high rise buildings, has done dust mitigation with water sprinklers, we are monitoring all the ongoing constructions, we are ensuring only e-buses for public transport, also e-vehicles are being used to last-mile connectivity, but the damage of 10 years cannot be corrected in just 7 months... They are dishonest, spent the money only on ads... We are trying to improve the situation....”
Saurabh Bharadwaj, the AAP's Delhi unit head, attacked the government for the manipulation of air quality data, which he said resulted in a trust deficit among citizens. " When a government itself tampers with data, it creates a trust deficit - and that’s why the intellectual community has taken to the streets today. That’s what is alarming. Pollution has existed for the last 10 years, but what’s alarming now is that the government is manipulating the data,” he told PTI.
Also Read | Delhi’s air quality worsens; govt adjusts office hours to cut emissions- Check new winter schedule
‘Right to clean air is a basic human right: Opposition reacts
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the detention of peaceful demonstrators, saying the "right to clean air" is a fundamental human right. He accused the ruling BJP of looking the other way on the pollution crisis and called its priorities political.
Gandhi took to X (formerly Twitter) writing, “The right to clean air is a basic human right. The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by our Constitution. Why are citizens who have been peacefully demanding clean air being treated like criminals? Air pollution is affecting crores of Indians, harming our children and the future of our nation. But the government, which came to power through vote chori simply doesn’t care, nor is it even attempting to solve this crisis. We need to take decisive action on air pollution right now instead of attacking citizens asking for clean air.”
Environmentalists, parents voice concern
Bhavreen Kandhari, an environmental activist who joined the protest, said that mothers and parents were getting increasingly anxious as the toxic air continued to blanket the city. “So many mothers and parents are deeply concerned because there’s a troubling narrative right now - nobody is wearing masks, as you can see. There are marathons being held, schools are conducting sports days, and yet there is no advisory in place,” she said.
Kandhari alleged that many of the key measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) were not being enforced even though the Air Quality Index had touched severe and hazardous levels. “We still have hope, and that’s why we’re here - mostly mothers, concerned parents, and citizens. There’s no hidden agenda; we’re all just parents. Many people here are holding inhalers and nebulisers, showing prescriptions. These are our emotions, our pain,” she added.
Also Read | Delhi air quality: Minor relief but toxic smog persists; GRAP stage 3 deferred
Police cite security reasons for denial of permission
The police said 60–80 people were detained for blocking traffic near India Gate on Mansingh Road. DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla said protesters had been asked to move to Jantar Mantar, but they refused. “We only detained those who were blocking the Mansingh Road and were not allowing people and vehicles to pass,” he said.
As per the report by the Hindustan Times, Additional DCP Anand Kumar Mishra had earlier denied permission for the protest, citing security and traffic restrictions in the area.
Delhiites demand lasting solutions
Several protesters voiced frustration at the lack of concrete policy action. One participant told ANI that the government is sprinkling water at data centres to manipulate readings instead of addressing the sources of pollution. Another protester, Neha, who carried a copy of the Constitution, said, “It’s a violation of our constitutional rights. We’ve been struggling with this for 10 years. No one cares about the health and rights of citizens. Peaceful protests are going on here, but people are being dragged and detained in buses.”
Delhi's air quality, hovering between poor and very poor categories over the last weeks, has shown slight improvement on Monday morning but remained far from safe levels.
