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Students protest at Jantar Mantar, demand accountability, action to curb pollution in Delhi

Activists, artists, and members of organisations like Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Disha Students Organization, Progressive Artists League, and the Revolutionary Workers Party of India (RWPI) also joined the protest.

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Several people, including members of students’ organisations, gathered at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Thursday to protest against the rising air pollution in the Capital, demanding accountability from the central and state governments.

Activists, artists, and members of organisations like Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Disha Students Organization, Progressive Artists League, and the Revolutionary Workers Party of India (RWPI) also joined the protest.

Holding placards reading “Pollution me saans lena is not funny” and “Smash capitalism, Save Environment”, protesters raised slogans of “AQI 400 paar, ab kahan hai Modi sarkar (AQI has crossed the 400 mark, where is the (Narendra) Modi-led government?”.

“In the past few years, the death toll due to poor air quality has increased to 17,000 every year,” claimed Chiranshu from Scientists for Society (SFS) .

Priyamvada from the Campaign for Right to Public Health spoke about how the situation of an environmental crisis can be reversed if proper actions are taken by the governments. She suggested measures like providing affordable and better commute systems for the common people so that they do not have to rely on personal vehicles.

“It is very easy to counter air pollution … factories and vehicles are among the largest emitters. This can easily be tackled if governments are serious about our health,” said another protester.

Keshav from students’ body Disha appealed to the youth to come forward so that a mass movement can be started “for the right to good air and quality healthcare”.

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Protesters also wrote slogans and made drawings on the ground depicting the condition of the lungs of a Delhiite who has been exposed to the poor air quality.

Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.  2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More

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