WATCH - Anti-pollution protesters detained at India Gate as Delhi's AQI remains 'very poor'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "WATCH - Anti-pollution protesters detained at India Gate as Delhi's AQI remains 'very poor'")
Demonstrators hold posters and shout slogans during a protest Photograph: (AFP)
Delhi’s air quality stayed in the very poor category on Monday (Nov 10), with an AQI of 345 at 2 pm, according to IITM data.
The worsening air conditions in Delhi led many people to gather at the India Gate on Sunday (Nov 9) to protest against increasing air pollution. They came together to urge the government to take quick and serious actions to improve the city’s air quality and also demanded transparency from the government on air quality data. Several footage surfaced on social media showing protesters being stopped by the police. A few protesters claimed that they were handled in the wrong way, and some children were also detained, though the police denied these claims.
“India Gate is not a protest site. 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," said New Delhi district DCP Devesh Kumar Mahla.
“At India Gate, people come along with their families to enjoy, and it is a national monument. There are VIP routes here; we are deployed here regularly”, he added, according to ANI.
Watch the viral protest videos below -
Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also questioned why Delhi Police had detained citizens protesting peacefully against the city’s poor air quality.
“The right to clean air is a basic human right. The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by our Constitution. Why are citizens who have been peacefully demanding clean air being treated like criminals?” Rahul said in a social media post.
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Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) today
Delhi’s air quality stayed in the very poor category on Monday (Nov 10), with an AQI of 345 at 2 pm, according to IITM data. Pollution levels across the capital remained dangerous for residents.
