<figure id="attachment_3205350" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3205350" style="width: 1599px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3205350 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/f92fa423-afp__20221103__32mp6hd__v2__midres__indiaenvironmentpollution_cropped.jpg" alt="" width="1599" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3205350" class="wp-caption-text">New Delhi&#8217;s air quality index stood at 345 today, ranking as &#8216;very poor&#8217; compared to &#8216;good&#8217; ratings in the 0–50 range. (AFP pic)</figcaption></figure>
NEW DELHI: Indian police detained dozens of people during a rare protest at the famed India Gate monument in New Delhi, demanding action to curb an annual scourge of toxic air swathing the capital and its surrounding region.
Yesterday&#8217;s protest by crowds of all ages holding banners and chanting slogans before police bundled them away was a scarce event, even though Delhi and the national capital region have battled such fumes every winter for years.
&#8220;We have only one problem, and that is of clean air,&#8221; said Neha, a mask-wearing protester, who gave only one name.
&#8220;This problem has been going on for many years but no action is being taken,&#8221; she told news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake.
Visuals from the agency showed police dragging protesters, some holding banners that read, &#8220;Breathing is killing us,&#8221; while others chanted slogans such as &#8220;Our right, clear air&#8221; into waiting buses before they were driven away.
The city&#8217;s air quality index of 345 today ranked as &#8216;very poor&#8217;, compared to ratings of &#8216;good&#8217; in the category from zero to 50, and &#8216;severe&#8217; in the range from 401 to 500, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
Police had called for the spot to be vacated as it was not a designated protest site, they told reporters earlier, while opposition leaders criticised the removal of the protesters.
&#8220;The right to clean air is a basic human right,&#8221; Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Congress party that has ruled India for much of its history as an independent nation, said on X.
&#8220;The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by our constitution. Why are citizens &#8230; peacefully demanding clean air being treated like criminals?&#8221;
&#8220;The Delhi government was taking steps to prevent pollution,&#8221; said its environment minister, Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
&#8220;We will continue every possible effort to rid us of pollution,&#8221; he said in a statement from BJP Delhi on X. &#8220;This is the resolve of our government,&#8221; he said.
The state government is formed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#8217;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Winter shrouds the region in a thick haze as cold, heavy air traps construction dust, vehicular emissions, and smoke, bringing respiratory illnesses for many.
Authorities&#8217; cloud seeding efforts last month to trigger artificial rain and cut pollution levels failed to produce any rainfall.

MatchPoint Times

New Delhi police detain dozens in anti-pollution protests

The demonstrators were demanding action to curb the annual scourge of toxic air affecting the capital and its surrounding region.

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