"Slowly Being Poisoned": Indian Grandmaster Highlights Delhi's Rising AQI, Questions Authorities
Delhi woke up to a chilling and extremely harsh morning on Saturday, with the entire city enveloped in a dense layer of fog.
Delhi woke up to a chilling and extremely harsh morning on Saturday, with the entire city enveloped in a dense layer of fog that brought visibility down to nearly zero. The minimum temperature dipped to 4.4 degrees Celsius, and the India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert for a cold wave and thick fog. Amid these conditions, another factor troubling Delhi residents was the rapidly deteriorating air quality. Noticing this, Indian chess grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi raised his voice and questioned the Delhi authorities over the city's worsening state.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Vidit shared screenshots of Delhi's AQI (Air Quality Index), which showed the status as "Hazardous."
He wrote, "We are slowly being poisoned and no one cares? Shouldn't solving this be the top priority?"
We are slowly being poisoned and no one cares?
— Vidit Gujrathi (@viditchess) January 17, 2026
Shouldn't solving this be the top priority ? pic.twitter.com/1qyZvPFLFq
Earlier on Wednesday, World No. 2 shuttler Anders Antonsen officially withdrew from the India Open 2026, citing extreme pollution levels in New Delhi. This marked the third consecutive year Anders opted out of the Super 750 event.
In an Instagram story, Anders said he hopes New Delhi's air quality will improve later this year, when the national capital will host the BWF World Championships. Anders also confirmed that BWF has fined him 5000 USD.
"Many is curious to why I have pulled out of the India Open for the third consecutive year. Due to the extreme pollution in Delhi at the moment, I don't thinks it's a place to host a badminton tournament. Crossing my fingers that it will be better in the Summer when the World Championships will take place in Delhi. As a result BWF once again has fined me 5000 USD," he wrote.
Antonsen also shared a screenshot of air quality in Delhi on the Instagram story, which showed AQI to be 348 and described conditions as hazardous.
(With ANI Inputs)