Activists protest Delhi’s toxic at India Gate, detained; AAP backs stir

New Delhi: Dozens of residents, including parents and environmental activists, staged a protest at India Gate on Sunday, demanding urgent government intervention to address Delhi’s worsening air pollution.

According to a PTI report, many demonstrators were mothers who arrived with their children to draw attention to the health risks posed by the capital’s deteriorating air quality. “We want to meet our elected officials. We had sought an appointment with the chief minister but were 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,” environmentalist Bhavreen Khandari said.

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At the same venue, another group held a separate protest opposing the recent Supreme Court order allowing the relocation of stray dogs from institutions, schools, and office areas.

Police officials said several protesters were detained for assembling without authorisation. “There was no permission to hold a protest at the India Gate. To maintain law and order and ensure there is no obstruction in security arrangements, some people were detained,” a police officer stated.

DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla clarified that the detentions were preventive. “Only Jantar Mantar is designated as a protest site where permission can be sought by following the due procedure,” he added.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) backed the anti-pollution protest, with party leader Priyanka Kakkar accusing Delhi’s BJP-led government of denying the severity of the crisis. She said that the Rekha Gupta government is “not accepting that there is pollution” in the national capital.

"People of Delhi are angry because the government of the national capital is in denial. They are not accepting that there is pollution. The BJP government should have been with the people on the ground and not manipulating the data," Kakkar told PTI.

Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj described the demonstration as a “non-political” movement by members of civil society.