AAP alleges AQI data manipulation

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday accused the BJP-led Delhi government of manipulating air quality data and demanded legal action against Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, alleging large-scale data fraud amid worsening pollution in the national capital.

AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that air quality monitoring stations were being sprinkled with water to manipulate pollution readings, citing the Jahangirpuri station, located in one of the most polluted areas of the city. Bharadwaj said the party had repeatedly raised the issue with Gupta and Sirsa but alleged that they had avoided addressing its concerns. "I and several AAP leaders and councillors have posted on X that the AQI monitoring station in Jahangirpuri, one of the most polluted areas, is being sprinkled with water," he said.

In a formal complaint to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Bharadwaj sought criminal proceedings against Gupta and Sirsa for alleged manipulation of ambient Air Quality Index (AQI) data. He also demanded an immediate, independent and high-level investigation into the alleged physical interference with monitoring stations, along with a strict audit of data acquisition systems and monitoring locations managed by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).

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