NEW DELHI: Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and several lawmakers were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday after they were stopped while marching from Parliament towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters.
The protest was aimed at demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, particularly in Bihar. Opposition parties have accused the election authorities of irregularities and alleged “vote theft” during recent elections.
The Election Commission and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party deny the allegations.
LoP Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Vadra climb over barricade after being stopped by security during protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. https://t.co/qht9Sp3qj7
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) October 6, 2026
Gandhi was joined by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other INDIA bloc leaders during the march.
The lawmakers were stopped by police barricades before reaching the ECI headquarters and subsequently staged a sit-in protest on the road.
Resignation Demand
The opposition has made Mr Kumar’s resignation a central demand of its campaign, accusing the Election Commission of mishandling the revision of voter lists.
Gandhi has also raised objections over changes concerning Form 6, which is used for voter registration. The Supreme Court said on Monday that it had not approved any modified version of the form and indicated that it would examine records relating to the changes.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected Gandhi’s claims as misleading and said the statutory Form 6 itself had not been changed. It has maintained that the SIR process follows established procedures.
Police Detentions
Delhi Police stopped the march citing restrictions and the lack of permission for such a large gathering.
Opposition MPs continued their protest after being prevented from proceeding towards the Election Commission headquarters, with several leaders detained during the confrontation with police.
The protest is part of a wider INDIA bloc campaign against the SIR exercise and what opposition parties describe as threats to electoral transparency.
The Election Commission has rejected allegations of political manipulation and maintained that decisions relating to the SIR process were taken according to established procedures.
