On the occasion of Children’s Day – Jawahar Lal Nehru’s birth anniversary – some schoolchildren in New Delhi were made to participate in a “Run for Children” event – while the city remained covered in a thick layer of smog.

The Air Quality Index in New Delhi remained in the severe category for most localities on Thursday morning, when the run was held. With an ongoing public health emergency, schools in Delhi and the NCR have been ordered to remain closed till November 15.

However, this did not deter the organisers from making the children run in the smog.

According to news reports, hundreds of children participated in the event. Many students were seen running in anti-pollution masks, while several complained of breathing trouble.

Not surprisingly, the event invited sharp reactions from social media users.