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Delhi residents protested on the streets on Sunday, demanding urgent government action to tackle the pollution crisis as the national capital woke up once again to a thick blanket of smog, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) nearing the 400 (‘severe’) mark. People carried out protest marches in front of the India Gate, carrying placards and shouting slogans, demanding that the Delhi government formulate policies to curb air pollution in the National Capital (NCR) region. The protests continued for nearly 30 minutes before police began cracking down on demonstrators and started detaining them. Protesters were detained after police, citing a Supreme Court order, stated that Jantar Mantar, not India Gate, is the designated site for protests. “The designated protest site in New Delhi is Jantar Mantar, as per the Supreme Court’s directions. That is why we have advised everyone to follow the guidelines,” New Delhi’s senior police official Devesh Kumar Mahla told news agency ANI. #WATCH | Residents of Delhi protest at India Gate, demanding that the government formulate policies to curb air pollution in the National Capital region. pic.twitter.com/ss3dGDJuug — ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2025 VIDEO | Delhi: Civil society members raise demand to ‘declare health emergency’ during anti-pollution protest at India Gate. (Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/87BoG0NDLv — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 9, 2025 #WATCH | Residents of Delhi protest at India Gate, demanding that the government formulate policies to curb air pollution in the National Capital region. pic.twitter.com/4D7Dh4mQII — ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2025 “The AQI is touching heights. We are being evacuated and not allowed to protest peacefully here… Common people are dying. Yet the government is not designing any policies and hiding the data,” a protester told reporters. “Even the cloud seeding didn’t work. That is, anyway, not a solution. We want a permanent solution… Even the public is fast asleep. Many people are here to watch the show, but they are not raising their voices in protests,” he added. Another protester said people are resorting to inhalers due to being unable to breathe properly as the pollution levels continue to rise. AAP leader Priyanka Kakkar also joined the protests, accusing the BJP of manipulating pollution data to lower the readings. “Even the BJP people should be here with us, but they are sitting at home with their air purifiers… The BJP needs to understand that the air and water are not a matter of politics,” she told ANI. AIR POLLUTION पर दिल्ली की जनता द्वारा करे जा रहे विरोध प्रदर्शन में शामिल हुई AAP ? “बीजेपी ने AQI Monitors पर पानी छिड़कवाया ताकि प्रदूषण के आंकड़े कम दिखें। भाजपा Data से खिलवाड़ कर रही है… इससे भाजपा की साख और विश्वसनीयता दोनों गिर रही हैं। भाजपा के लोग भी हमारे साथ यहां… pic.twitter.com/KrexygRy9H — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) November 9, 2025 Delhi’s Pollution Crisis On Sunday, the city woke up to a thick blanket of smog as air quality continued to deteriorate after Diwali, and the situation continues to get worse. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, the AQI in Delhi stands at 360 at 7 pm on Sunday. The AQI in Bawana was recorded at 410, while it was 390 in ITO, 380 in Anand Vihar, 389 in RK Puram, 321 at IGI T3 Airport, and 370 in Narela. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which oversees the Graded Response Action Plan for the National Capital Region, called for a review meeting at 4 pm. The Sub-Committee on GRAP opined that the invocation of Stage-III of GRAP is not required at the moment, and ongoing measures under Stages I and II of the extant schedule of GRAP to continue in the NCR, as the daily average AQI in Delhi has shown a declining trend. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta appealed to residents to carpool, rely more on public transport, and urged private offices to permit work-from-home arrangements. (with inputs from agencies)
