Delhi's India Gate has a litter problem. This man's video is a reality check

An Instagram video by a Delhi resident showed litter scattered around India Gate. The clip triggered concern online and revived calls for better upkeep and civic responsibility.A Delhi resident showed how littered the India Gate premises are. (Photo: Instagram/aashishgrover95)The tricolour may fly proudly over India Gate in Delhi, but a recent video from the landmark has drawn attention to what lies beneath, with discarded bottles, wrappers and rubbish scattered across the surrounding area.Delhi resident Aashish Grover captured the scene during a visit to India Gate and shared the video on Instagram. What begins as a routine walk around one of the capital’s most recognisable landmarks quickly turns into a commentary on the state of the surroundings.“Just look at this place,” Grover says in the video, pointing his camera towards the rubbish lying around him.He goes on to question how a place as prominent as India Gate could be left looking this way. “Guess where I've come, to India Gate,” he says in Hindi, before pointing out that the litter was not limited to one spot. He turns the camera towards different parts of the area, showing waste scattered across the ground. “This is the most prestigious place in Delhi,” he says, drawing attention to the contrast between the monument’s significance and the condition of the space around it.Watch the video here: India Gate is one of Delhi’s busiest public landmarks, which attracts tourists, families and groups of visitors throughout the year. The area becomes particularly crowded in the evenings and on weekends, when people gather around the monument and its surrounding lawns.That footfall also means a considerable amount of waste can accumulate if visitors do not dispose of it properly or if public spaces are not cleaned frequently enough.Grover’s video has since prompted discussion online about the responsibility of keeping shared spaces clean. While some users questioned the upkeep of the area, others pointed to the role visitors themselves play in preventing public spaces from turning into dumping grounds.The video, ultimately, leaves behind a fairly simple question: if even a landmark as iconic as India Gate can end up surrounded by litter, what does that say about the way we treat the public spaces we all share?- EndsPublished By: Srimoyee ChowdhuryPublished On: Aug 17, 2026 08:29 IST