Delhi’s air pollution debate intensified after cabinet minister Kapil Mishra alleged that farm-fire incidents in Punjab rose more than tenfold on Diwali, and asked Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to order an investigation and register first information reports against those responsible.
Speaking at a press conference at his Civil Lines residence on Sunday, Mishra said satellite data cited by the central government recorded between 100 and 125 stubble-burning incidents in Punjab on November 5, 6 and 7. He claimed the number rose suddenly to around 1,200 on the evening of November 8.
Mishra alleged that the increase required an impartial investigation because some farmers had contacted him to complain that fires were being lit in their fields while they were celebrating Diwali with their families. The minister said farmers were trying to avoid burning crop residue and questioned how such a large increase could occur in a single day.
The figures and allegations were reported by Jagran and were presented as statements made by Mishra. The supplied report does not include an independent confirmation of the satellite count, the alleged deliberate lighting of fields, or the attribution of the fires to any specific individuals or organisation.
Mishra also referred to air-quality readings that he said were recorded on November 9 in Punjab. According to his statement, the Air Quality Index stood at 1,238 in Malout, 1,307 in Abohar and 1,651 in Sangrur. The report does not specify the monitoring stations, measurement methodology or the authority that produced these readings.
He asked the Punjab government to register FIRs in areas where fires were reported on the night of November 8 and identify those responsible. He also sought an investigation into the phone records of Aam Aadmi Party legislators and leaders in the affected areas, as well as Delhi-based party leaders who were in Punjab. These were demands made by the minister and not confirmed investigative findings.
Mishra linked the dispute to Delhi’s wider pollution debate, saying post-Diwali pollution had risen by 43.33 per cent in 2023 and by around 10 per cent in 2024. He claimed that this year, the difference between pre- and post-Diwali pollution levels showed a 1.33 per cent decline. He added that the change did not mean Delhi’s pollution problem had ended.
The minister also accused the Aam Aadmi Party of creating an atmosphere against Diwali, firecrackers and Hindu traditions, while saying Punjab’s farmers should not be blamed for political reasons. The immediate next step sought in the statement is a Punjab government investigation into the reported November 8 farm-fire incidents and the filing of FIRs in the affected areas.
