Nahi Aa Rahi Saans, Kaise Honge Pass: JGU’s Pollution Protest

On November 16th and 18th, 2025, O. P. Jindal Global University (JGU) witnessed one of its biggest protests in a few semesters. On November 16th, 2025, a WhatsApp group chat was created for the mobilisation of said ‘Pollution Protest’. Immediately, discussions began on where and how to assemble. This resulted in a two-day protest between November 16th and 18th: the first took place at the Flagpole, while the second involved marching around the campus in several rounds. Protesters engaged in various chants, including ‘Inquilab Zindabad,’ with the rallying slogan being ‘Nahi Aa Rahi Saans, Kaise Honge Pass.’

However, this resulted in a few things aside from addictive chats. Firstly, what started with an estimated 100 protesters eventually escalated to 2000 protestors. Secondly, a few news outlets had posted videos addressing the protests and highlighting the students perspective on the necessity of this protest. The most prominent media that covered this protest was SNA, which gave JGU its 15 minutes of fame. Ultimately, the administration decided to implement online exams in response to the potential escalation from GRAP III to GRAP IV.

Why was this protest necessary?

The core issue driving this protest was the rising Air Quality Index (AQI), which poses a significant health risk and disrupts students' ability to effectively prepare for and take exams. However, this perspective was not without controversy, as some students argued that the protest was primarily motivated by a desire for online exams.

With Delhi NCR’s AQI breaking record numbers around 660+, students were being admitted into JGU’s health centre, coughing up blood, and having asthma attacks. According to India’s official AQI website, the AQI was recorded at 714 in certain areas on November 16th at 2:04 AM. Even the lowest AQI readings in Delhi were categorized as severe, falling within the red zone. An organizer of this protest had stated, “That it was not fair to sick students that JGU could not accommodate completely, as at the end of it this pollution was a disruption that could potentially ruin their grades and that students showed up post-exams to protest, proved that a majority was not concerned with a superficial shift rather a genuine concern of the current environment”. Furthermore, this protest was done with little to no guarantee that online examinations would be declared, yet it was still done in the hope that students could escape the hazardous environment and take proper precautions while preparing for their exams.

The JGU administration had already decided that the Mercer Mettl platform would be the mode of examination in the following academic year; therefore, the student body was aware that the university could switch and fall back to this mode of examination. The question at the time was about what was being prioritised, whether it was student health being risked or how examinations were carried out. Originally, the protesting body planned to protest every day, before the administration had made a statement.

This protest obviously was heard by the administration, as chains of emails were sent to the administration repeatedly, to the point where moderators were restricting emails from where they were being sent, and several student housing blocks were blocked during the protest so that students could not enter or exit.

It was a test to see if the concerns were acknowledged and if the student body could truly display solidarity. On November 18th, when the administration declared that there would be a shift to online examinations due to the AQI progressively getting worse, there was a sense of relief that concerns were addressed. Earlier this Fall semester, there were two major protests before the Pollution protest, which were the women’s protest and the animals’ protest. With each one, there has been growing solidarity, with how the JGU student body organises their agenda, as well as the growing recognition it holds within the University. However, is this new protesting culture completely inclusive yet, or with proper growth could it lead to more school-inclusivity in the future? These questions remain as a testament with time, as the protesting culture in JGU re-emerges. Does this possibly indicate a new wave of protesting culture in JGU?

About the Author

About the Author: K.S. Prathignya is a second-year undergraduate student of Political Science at the Jindal School of International Affairs, alongside minoring in Economics. Her interests include applying critical theory to examine the political economy of contextual climates, as well as how capitalism shapes public discourse in the 21st century. She is also interested in media studies and the political economy that shapes the power structures behind what we consume today.