Dozens detained at India Gate clean air protest against pollution | Fusion - WeRIndia

As Delhi’s toxic air thickened over the weekend, frustration finally spilt onto the streets.

On Sunday evening, dozens of citizens, parents, activists, students, and political leaders gathered at India Gate to protest worsening air pollution.

Joined by animal rights activists opposing the recent Supreme Court ruling on stray dogs, the demonstration soon saw heavy police deployment and detentions.

According to DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla, around 60-80 protesters were detained for blocking Mansingh Road, including Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj.

Police said they had denied permission for the protest due to traffic and security reasons, advising demonstrators to move to Jantar Mantar.

However, many environmentalists alleged that even children were detained, a claim police denied.

The protest reflected growing anger over the government’s inaction on Delhi’s air crisis.

Demonstrators carried placards against the rising pollution in New Delhi, holding authorities responsible for neglecting public health.

Some parents said that they had not sent their children to the park for a month and wondered how long parents could keep their children indoors.

Many protesters accused political leaders of shifting blame to farmers and manipulating data instead of finding genuine solutions.

One of them said that if governments truly cared, they would meet and develop a joint strategy.

Others highlighted inequality, pointing out that only the wealthy could afford air purifiers.

Among the crowd, animal rights activists expressed anger over the Supreme Court’s ruling on stray dogs.

Some activists questioned where the animals would go, noting that the government lacked proper shelters.

The demonstrations also reignited political tensions. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa held the previous AAP government responsible for systemic failures, while AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused several agencies of manipulating pollution data and undermining public trust.

Extending his support to the protesters, Rahul Gandhi stated on X that the right to clean air was a basic human right and criticised the authorities for treating peaceful citizens like criminals.

Despite detentions and restrictions, Sunday’s protest made one thing clear: Delhi’s citizens are running out of breath and patience.

Image Credit: Prami.ap90, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Delhi_air_pollution_2019.jpg