'We Can’t Breathe’: Big Protest at India Gate Over Delhi's Air Pollution

'We Can’t Breathe': Dozens Detained by Police at India Gate During Delhi Pollution Protest

Staff Reporter

Nov 10, 2025, 06:06 AM2 min read

'We Can’t Breathe’: Big Protest at India Gate Over Delhi's Air Pollution

Citizens protest against what they called the government’s lack of action to combat air pollution in the capital city New Delhi, India, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025/ Collected

A lot of people, more than a hundred, showed up at India Gate on Sunday(October 9) to protest. They were really upset about the terrible, toxic air in Delhi and demanded the government do something about it.

The protest had students and activists and lasted for almost two hours. People were holding handmade signs. One said "Saaf hawa sabka haq hai" (Clean air is everyone's right) and another said "Delhi is injurious to health."

Many protesters wore masks and even brought their own air quality monitors to show how bad the smog is.

The police warned them to leave, but they stayed. Then, the Delhi Police and the CRPF's Rapid Action Force came. According to the Hindu, things got rough, and the police detained about 55 protesters. People said they were "pushed" and "whisked away" in buses. This included 15 women who were taken far away to places like Narela and Bawana.

This all happened on a day when the air was "very poor." The AQI (Air Quality Index) was 391 in the morning.

Even though the air was so bad, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said they wouldn't use the stricter Stage III GRAP rules. They said the air was getting a little better (it went to 370 later), so the old Stage I and II rules will stay.

This protest shows that people are getting really worried about the environment. It's not a small issue anymore. People are seeing the pollution for themselves, like the smog in Delhi, and they are starting to demand action. They feel clean air is a basic human right.

After the air quality protest, many of the protesters started a second demonstration. This one was about a Supreme Court order about street dogs and how there aren't enough shelters for them.

BOB Post