Student protest against city’s deteriorating AQI continues

Around 20 students had gathered in front of India Gate to protest against the worsening air pollution in the Capital, accusing the government of not doing enough to improve the situation.

Students protesting against Delhi’s deteriorating air quality briefly blocked the road in front of India Gate on Sunday, eventually being removed by the police. They accused security personnel of manhandling them, while police said 4 of its personnel were injured in the scuffle.

Student protest against city’s deteriorating AQI continues (Sanjeev Verma/ HT)

Around 50-60 students had gathered in front of India Gate around 4:00 pm to protest against the worsening air pollution in the Capital, accusing the government of not doing enough to improve the situation. The protest was organised by the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air, which consists of multiple student organisations such as the All India Students Association, Disha Students’ Organization, and the Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch.

The protest had started inside the India Gate lawns, with the protestors later being moved outside of the lawns by the police. After they unsuccessfully tried to re-enter the lawns, the protesters sat down in the middle of the road around 5:00 pm, causing traffic to slow down in the area as it moved around them.

“Air pollution is not an isolated problem. It is related to the model of development we follow, which is currently causing the environment to be exploited and not allowing ordinary people to breathe,” said Illakya, a 23-year-old student of Delhi University. 

“The average human in Delhi cannot afford an air purifier, and currently does not have access to clean air, which is a basic right to life,” she added.

Speaking to HT, a bystander who also joined the protest said, the situation was severely impacting the health of the city’s residents.

“I am a professional boxer, and my training has been severely impacted by the worsening air quality. When we train, we are constantly coughing, and our endurance has worsened. People and the government ask why India does not produce a lot of sportspeople, but how can it if these are the conditions which we live under?” said Arjun Khutain.

Police started removing the students from the road at around 5:30 pm. The students accused police of manhandling them.

“Some officers snatched my phone away from me, and refused to give it back until instructed by others. I don’t understand how the police are treating students like this, especially as they are also breathing the same air. The question is not why we are protesting, but rather why are the police not protesting with us?” said one Delhi University student, asking not to be named.

A senior police officer said “The protesters had no permission and we had told this to them repeatedly. While staff was trying to remove them, they attacked us with pepper spray. We will be taking legal action against the organisers and protesters who planned this and attacked our staff. We were only stopping them from blocking a road. 4 personnel suffered injuries due to the pepper spray and have been taken to RML hospital for treatment. A case is being registered.”