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NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday slammed the BJP government for detaining people protesting at India Gate over the air pollution in Delhi.The Congress leader, in a post on X, said the right to clean air was a basic human right and accused the government of treating peaceful demonstrators like criminals. “Air pollution is harming our children and the future of our nation. But the government, which came to power through vote chori, simply doesn’t care,” he wrote, urging decisive action to address the crisis. Opposition parties joined in the criticism as the capital’s air quality plunged into the ‘severe’ category. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, accused the BJP government of manipulating pollution data. “The BJP got water sprinkled on AQI monitors to lower the readings. They are hiding the truth while people suffer,” she alleged, adding that even BJP leaders were “sitting at home with air purifiers” instead of facing the public.Protesters at India Gate said they were being stopped from demonstrating peacefully. The Delhi Police urged demonstrators to move their protest to Jantar Mantar, saying India Gate is not a designated protest site. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 391 at 7 am on Sunday, with several areas crossing the 400 mark, a level considered hazardous. The worsening air quality has triggered Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).