Hundreds of citizens gathered spontaneously at Delhi's India Gate on Sunday to demand clean air amid severe pollution. The protest highlighted frustration with government inaction on the toxic smog choking the city. Participants, including parents and students, called for transparent monitoring and health protections as a fundamental right.
On Sunday, November 10, 2025, Delhi awoke to a sepia cityscape shrouded in toxic smog, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) breaching 400 in several areas, marking it as 'severe'. In the evening, hundreds braved the haze to gather at India Gate in a spontaneous protest without organizers, banners, or political flags. Parents clutching children, students with handmade banners, and resolute elderly citizens demanded clean air, reframing pollution not as an administrative lapse but as a political betrayal.
The gathering broke years of citizen inertia and political evasion, where blame has shifted between city and central governments, farmers, industries, and motorists. Protesters emphasized that clean air is a non-negotiable right, not a privilege for the wealthy with air purifiers or escapes to cleaner retreats. They called for the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to deliver sustainable solutions and equality in breath for rich and poor alike.
Specific demands included an Independent Air Quality and Public Health Commission, autonomous and expert-led, answerable to Parliament. Advocates sought real-time, audited data open to citizens, a national health advisory system coordinated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with the Central Pollution Control Board, and an app like 'Aarogya Setu for Air' for alerts on masking and indoor stays. They also urged accountability for public funds spent on pollution measures.
As dusk fell, the peaceful protesters faced detentions and police aggression, eroding trust in authorities. The Congress party slammed the government over these detentions. Internationally, examples like Beijing's turnaround through citizen pressure a decade ago and North Macedonia's 2024 protests leading to a clean-up plan underscore the potential of sustained activism.
The next day, November 11, Delhi recorded its coldest morning at 10.4°C, with AQI at 362 in the 'Very Poor' category. The Commission for Air Quality Management noted declines in farm fires in Punjab (35.2%) and Haryana (65.3%), alongside measures like banning older vehicles and shifting industries to cleaner fuels.
