Dozens detained at India Gate protest on air pollution; political row ensues

The protest was joined by the animal rights activists who were there to show their disapproval over the recent Supreme Court ruling on stray dogs.

Dozens of people — parents, concerned citizens, environmental activists and even political leaders — were detained on Sunday at India Gate after they staged a protest at India Gate against the worsening air quality. The protest which began around 5pm was joined by the animal rights activists who were there to show their disapproval over the recent Supreme Court ruling on stray dogs.

Police detain activists during the protest on Sunday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

Initially, the protest took place amid high police deployment, with Delhi Police saying people had gathered without police permission. Protesters also claimed they had been threatened by the police and were told that they would register FIRs and detain them.

Eventually, dozens of people were detained and, protesters said, moved to an unknown location.

“Approximately 60-80 people were detained from both protests. We only detained those who were blocking the Mansingh Road and were not allowing people and vehicles to pass,” said DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla. He said the protest at Mansingh Road was being led by Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Saurabh Bharadwaj.

“The rest, who were inside India Gate, were directed to leave and removed,” DCP Mahla said.

Additional DCP Anand Kumar Mishra had on Saturday denied permission for the protest in front of India Gate, citing security and traffic reasons, and asked protesters to move to Jantar Mantar.

In a post on X, environmentalist Vimlendu Jha alleged the police were also detaining children. “Even children are detained, who were only asking for their right to breathe,” he said in the post, which included a video of what appeared to be a scuffle at the site.

However, DCP Mahla denied this and said no child had been detained.

Earlier, while demonstrating the protesters, from college students to working professionals, alleged that the government’s “lack of political will to find an effective solution to rising air pollution level” had triggered a health crisis in the capital. People raised placards highlighting the “air emergency” and demanding “clean air for children”.

“I haven’t sent my daughter to the park since last month. But for how long and to what extent will I restrict her movement to protect her,” said Akansha Kulkarni. She has a four-year-old daughter.

“Winters used to be one of the best times in Delhi. We used to look forward to being out. But now we spent all our winters inside,” Kulkarni added.

Another protester, asking not to be named, said the situation is so bad that individual efforts will do little to mitigate the crisis. “The government is only hiding behind by highlighting issues of stubble burning and data manipulation, if they really wanted to make a difference governments of all nearby states should have called a meeting and proposed a joint-strategy to deal with crisis,” the protester said.

“The ultra rich can afford to install air purifiers wherever they are. But what about the common man out on the street, travelling in public transport, labourers working on the street,” said one of the protesters who works in the development sector. “Nothing is changing because there’s no political will to change anything.”

In the same crowd, few were seen raising safety concerns regarding stray dogs removal from their natural habitat.

“In the last one month we have seen the attitude of the authorities towards animals, particularly harmless street dogs. The Supreme Court’s ruling is another blow,” said Harshita, who came to protest against the SC’s ruling on stray dogs. “Remove them from schools, colleges, hospitals, etc., and put them where? Does the government have infrastructure to keep them safely somewhere?”

The protest reignited debates between the previous and the current Delhi government. Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa blamed the AAP-led previous Delhi government for systemic failure. Commenting on the protest, the minister said citizens are entitled to express their opinions.

AAP’s Bharadwaj, who was also present at the protest, said air pollution has been a persistent issue in the last ten years but the manipulation of data has raised concern and resulted in trust deficit among people in Delhi.

“There is now a trust deficit among the people when it comes to the government. Major institutions like the DPCC, CPCB, CAQM, and IMD are fudging data and manipulation figures,” said Bharadwaj. “When a government itself tampers with data, it creates a trust deficit and that is why the intellectual community has taken to the streets today.”

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “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?”

“We need to take decisive action on air pollution right now instead of attacking citizens asking for clean air,” he added in a post on X.

NCP (SP) national spokesperson Anish Gawande alleged he was stopped from participating in the protest. “I was stopped at Ashoka Road so I couldn’t participate.”

“Most people protesting were working class and salaried people, they had taken out time on a Sunday to raise their concerns regarding the pollution. The government, instead of trying to mitigate the crisis, is actually spending time trying to restrict people’s right to expression.”