‘Pollution data on Diwali night manipulated, monitoring stations shut down’: AAP’s serious charge against Delhi govt

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday levelled a serious allegation against the BJP government in Delhi with regard to pollution levels in the city post Diwali. Party’s Delhi president Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that Delhi government’s agencies monitoring the pollution levels tampered with air quality index (AQI) readings on the night of Diwali (Monday, October 20). Calling it a “criminal act”, he alleged that AQI at the Nehru Nagar monitoring station was recorded 1763 before being shut down.

“They are corrupt and criminals, what they have done is a criminal act. Four different government agencies worked together to collect Delhi’s pollution data on the night of Diwali. Today’s news states that Nehru Nagar station recorded an AQI of 1763, after which it was shut down. They are playing with people’s health…,” the AAP leader told news agency ANI.

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He later asked at a press briefing how did the city government’s pollution monitoring stations became non-operational as soon as AQI levels spiked in Delhi on the night of Diwali. “How did the government’s pollution monitoring stations become non-operational as soon as pollution began to rise on Diwali night? Four monitoring stations were deployed: CPCB, IMD, DPCC, and IITM. A dozen monitoring stations from these four institutions stopped working at night and have been out of action since the wind picked up in the morning. This is theft and dishonesty. They are dishonest with the people of Delhi,” Bhardwaj alleged.

#WATCH | Delhi AAP President, Saurabh Bhardwaj says, “…How did the government’s pollution monitoring stations become non-operational as soon as pollution began to rise on Diwali night? Four monitoring stations were deployed: CPCB, IMD, DPCC, and IITM. A dozen monitoring… pic.x.com/RyTi564x97

— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2025

The AAP’s allegation came in in the wake of a claim made by Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa earlier in the day that bursting of firecrackers on Diwali had only a minimal impact on the city’s overall pollution levels. Sirsa had accused the AAP of trying to blame “Diwali, Hindus, and Sanatanis” for Delhi’s air pollution. “It’s not the crackers. The Aam Aadmi Party is putting all its efforts into proving that the pollution in Delhi is due to Diwali. They’re focused on this because they have a particular vote bank to please. They’re working hard to ban Diwali by saying that lighting lamps and bursting firecrackers creates smoke,” the minister told ANI.

Bhardwaj also slammed Sirsa for alleging the AAP was forcing farmers in Punjab to burn stubble to increase pollution in Delhi. “They need to apologise to the Sikh farmers of Punjab. It is very shameful to think that the farmers of Punjab, that too Sikhs, are burning stubble to defame the Hindu festival, Diwali. They need to apologise to the Sikhs of Punjab as the Gurus sacrificed their lives for Hindus,” he said.

Sirsa had yesterday claimed, “I want to show you how the Aam Aadmi Party is deliberately forcing farmers to burn stubble in Punjab by covering their faces… Farmers don’t want to burn stubble, but they were told to do so. They’ve been forced to burn stubble by covering their faces, so that this stubble can have an impact on Delhi.”