New Delhi: At least 22 protesters were arrested on Monday by Delhi Police for assaulting and throwing chilli powder at officers during the agitation at India Gate a day earlier against the government over rising air pollution, News18 reported. The situation at the protest site escalated, resulting in injuries to several police officials.
The arrests were made for assaulting government officials. The protesters also raised slogans for slain Naxal commander Madvi Hidma abd carried his posters. They demanded strict action against the deteriorating air quality in Delhi.
Top Points:
1) Two FIRs were filed at the Kartavyapath Police Station and the Parliament Street Police Station in connection with the matter, News18 reported.
2) The protest was reportedly organised by the Delhi Coordination Committee for Clean Air.
3) Police officials said the protesters even ignored pleas about ambulances and medical staff stuck in the traffic bottleneck. According to reports, as cops moved in to remove them from the road, some members of the group allegedly attacked the personnel with pepper spray.
4) Visuals from the protest site on Sunday showed agitators holding posters of Hidma, who was recently killed in an encounter.
5) A picture from Sunday’s (November 23) protest against the poor air quality in Delhi at India Gate has gone viral on social media. The picture features a young protester pinned face-down on the pavement while a police officer presses his hand against his face.
6) Meanwhile, a thick layer of haze engulfed the national capital on Monday morning as the average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 396 at 7 am, falling under the ‘very poor’ category despite the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-III being in effect across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
7) On November 9, people had also staged a protest at the same spot, demanding that the government implement policies to curb air pollution in the National Capital Region.
8) According to the CPCB, the Ghazipur area recorded an AQI of 441. The AQI of Anand Vihar stood at 440 on Monday morning, which falls under the ‘severe’ pollution category. A layer of toxic smog blanketed the city around India Gate this morning. Bawana recorded an AQI of 434 at 7 am, placing it in the ‘severe’ category.
9) In contrast, NSIT Dwarka recorded an AQI of 322, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
10) According to AQI categorisation, 0–50 is ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’.
