Following protests against severe pollution, India’s main opposition leader upheld “the right to clean air” as “a basic human right.” Will pollution finally become a political issue in India?
People holding banners and posters protest against Delhi’s poor air quality and demand that the government take action to curb pollution, New Delhi, India, Nov. 9, 2025.
On November 9, Delhi Police detained dozens of protesters, including environmental activists, journalists, and civil society members, who were demonstrating near the iconic India Gate, demanding clean air in the Indian capital. Some of them wore gas masks as a symbolic gesture of protest.
That day, New Delhi recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 370 – in the “very poor” category. It was no exceptional day. The AQI – which measures the level of PM2.5 or fine particulate air pollutants that can clog lungs –remained between 300 and 400 or in the
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