"Conspiracy against farmers, Diwali": BJP's Kapil Mishra flags steep rise in stubble burning in Punjab, slams AAP

Speaking to ANI, Kapil Mishra flagged a steep rise in the stubble burning incidents on Sunday and termed it a conspiracy against farmers and the festival of Diwali.

He said, "A targeted campaign has been launched to defame Diwali and Sanatan. I want to urge Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to investigate the 1,200 fires that broke out yesterday evening and file FIRs. Check the phone records of the Aam Aadmi Party members from Delhi who are in Punjab to see how they began campaigning two days ago. They knew two days ago that the AQI would rise. And if they deliberately set fires, as appears to be the case, then they should be sent to jail."

Sharing the data during a press conference, he said that on November 7 stubble burning was recorded at 125 locations, which increased to 1200 on November 8.

Mishra said, "Since yesterday evening, we started receiving calls from farmers in Punjab about farm fires. When farmers were celebrating Diwali at their homes, some people were setting fires on their farms. We did not believe it at first. But then we started receiving several calls. Sirsa ji and I received calls, and then we thought we should check the truth. Was it a conspiracy to defame the farmers or defame Diwali? We asked for data coming in through satellites for the Government of India on stubble burning."

'The data proves that this was a premeditated move, and fields in Punjab were set on fire. As per the satellite data on stubble burning on 5th, 6th and 7th November, on 7th Nov, there was stubble burning at 125 locations. But as per the data last evening, there was stubble burning at 1200 locations - on the day of Diwali... How did it increase 10 times? This is a really serious matter. This is a conspiracy against farmers, against Diwali, against Delhi, against Punjab," he added.

As Delhi reels under the effects of air pollution, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has flagged cases of stubble burning. According to CAQM, as of November 8, a total of 4,459 incidents of stubble burning have been recorded in the state. Physical inspections were conducted at 2,998 of these sites, with evidence of stubble burning confirmed at 1,310 locations.

Furthermore, First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered in 884 cases under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and 'red entries' have been made in the land records of 1,017 farms. Additionally, prosecution proceedings have been initiated against 18 nodal officers under Section 14 of the CAQM Act.

Early in the morning, several stations in Delhi recorded an AQI above 400. At 10 am, Delhi Technological University (DTU) recorded the highest AQI of 439, followed by Burari Crossing at 433, Vivek Vihar at 421, North Campus of Delhi University and Sonia Vihar at 419 each, and Bawana at 418. (ANI)