Police detain Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi during opposition protest in New Delhi

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi were detained by police in New Delhi while attempting to lead opposition MPs toward Jantar Mantar for a protest.

Priyanka Gandhi accused the police of mistreatment during the police action. She alleged that personnel pushed leaders to the ground, caused multiple scratches, and used physical force against members of parliament attempting to meet the election commissioner.

The demonstration forms part of ongoing opposition protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the special intensive revision process. Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly accused the poll panel of vote theft, alleging collusion with the Bharatiya Janata Party, and stated that he does not consider Gyanesh Kumar a legitimate chief election commissioner.

The latest police action follows a march toward the Election Commission office and a prolonged sit-in protest at Akashvani Bhavan. Delhi Police subsequently registered a first information report against Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other India bloc leaders for allegedly entering the Akashvani Bhavan premises without permission. Responding to the filing, Rahul Gandhi stated that each case serves as a medal and that opposition leaders will not back down.

Prior to the Jantar Mantar march, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge hosted a lunch for approximately 300 opposition parliamentarians at a restaurant in Janpath, following which legislators moved toward the demonstration site amid heavy security deployment.

The Election Commission previously stated that political parties had not sought prior appointments through authorized representatives, noting that a request for a 240-member delegation to meet commissioners was unusual and against protocol. The poll panel maintained it offered to send its most senior working official to receive a memorandum, but the proposal was declined. Both the Election Commission and the BJP have rejected the allegations raised by the opposition.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra criticized the opposition stance on the special intensive revision process, questioning whether Congress sought to retain the names of deceased individuals on voter rolls. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi also condemned the remarks, labeling the opposition’s claims regarding the electoral roll revision as misleading and unfounded.