‘My daughter breathes this air every day… don’t have the option to leave’: A mother on Delhi’s pollution

The detainees claimed they were taken to three police stations on the outskirts — Narela, Bawana and Surajpur — and released around midnight. An FIR was filed against few at the Bawana police station.

Purnima Raghunath (43), a documentary filmmaker who narrowly escaped being shoved inside the bus by the police, said she doesn’t have the option to leave Delhi. She was at the protest along with her two children, both aged 10.

“We’re all worrying about bringing up children in the city because we don’t have the choice to move out. My daughter’s first breath was in this city, I don’t even want to imagine how her organs look due to pollution…,” she said. “The government’s deception is very problematic. They need to be more transparent, not only this government but the previous ones too.”

She added, “Officials are living in their ivory towers and people like us, who are tax-paying and law-abiding citizens, are being treated like criminals just for asking for the fundamental right to life…”

Abhigyan said they were taken to the Bawana police station and released at midnight. “A few of us were made to sign the 35 (3) BNSS form and an FIR was lodged. We tried asking officers what sections were made out against us, but they didn’t tell us… they were misbehaving with us,” he alleged.

“We were protesting about what is happening in Delhi and why, every time, fingers are pointed at farmers… even though vehicular and industrial pollution is the main reason for (bad air),” he added.

Another detainee, Tanzeem, from Jawaharlal Nehru University, claimed a few senior citizens were also detained but were eventually allowed to get off the bus on the way to the police station.

Ankit Kumar (19) from Gujarat, who is studying in the Capital, said government offices have air purifiers but people are left to breathe toxic air. He also alleged that the government is trying to fudge data.

Tanvi (21), a Master’s student at Ambedkar University, said she was detained at Narela police station. She said she shifted to Delhi in 2023 and now carries masks and allergy medication everywhere she goes. “I fall sick very frequently as my immunity has gone down,” she said. “We want policies in place so that people can at least breathe. We cannot afford an air purifier,” she added.

Hours before the protest was slated to take place, the office of the Additional DCP, New Delhi, had said in a letter that “Section 163 BNSS was in force in the entire area of New Delhi District, except Jantar Mantar, therefore, protest at India Gate cannot be permitted”.

Senior police officers had said, “The protestors had blocked Mansingh Road, which caused traffic snarls. We requested them to move from there but they didn’t. So they were detained in order to clear the road.”