LIVE | Rahul, other Congress leaders released by Delhi Police after detention

Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders, who were detained after their over-eight-hour sit-in inside the Akashvani Bhawan premises, were released by the Delhi Police a little after 10 pm on Tuesday (October 6), the opposition party said.

High drama unfolded during the INDIA Bloc protest in New Delhi on Tuesday evening (October 6) after Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and others, were detained and taken away from the Akashvani Bhavan premises after their over eight-hour sit-in protest.

Police forcibly removed Rahul, Priyanka and Congress MPs and leaders, including K C Venugopal, Pawan Khera, K Suresh, Amarinder Singh, Raja Warring and Imran Pratapgarhi, as the All India Radio (AIR) premises were cleared of all protesting MPs.

Rahul had earlier entered the AIR premises on Parliament Street and started the dharna after police thwarted an attempt by opposition MPs to march towards the Election Commission office, barely 300 metres away, over the "vote chori" charge.

Also read: Six things to watch as SC examines EC’s decisions

The march by INDIA bloc leaders was the latest in a series of protests by politicians and civil activists calling for Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's resignation after a September 25 Indian Express report suggested irregularities in the SIR process and differences among the election commissioners.

What EC said

Hours after the INDIA bloc MPs marched towards the EC office and staged a day-long protest, the poll panel on Tuesday evening said no political party sought an appointment through its authorised representatives for a meeting with it till 4 pm.

"Till 4 PM today, no political party, through its representatives, had sought an appointment for a meeting with the Election Commission," it said in a statement.

Around 4 pm, the Commission received information from Delhi Police that a delegation of MPs led by Gandhi wanted to meet it and submit a memorandum.

The EC said it had laid down a procedure for meetings with political parties in 2025, under which a delegation of a political party or a joint delegation of several parties seeks an appointment through its duly authorised representative.

The Commission said it respected parliamentary and democratic processes as well as its own protocols and conventions.

"Any political party may, at any time, request a meeting with the Election Commission," the poll panel said.

Rahul climbs atop police barricade

Earlier, they tried to march to the EC headquarters and entered the Akashvani Bhavan premises in a bid to reach the poll body’s office. After being prevented from proceeding further, they sat on the road in protest, around 200 metres from the EC office. Soon Rahul and TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee climbed atop a police barricade, while Priyanka was taken to an awaiting bus for being detained. However, she soon got off it and joined her brother at the Akashvani gate.

Also read | SC clarification on Form 6 gives Oppn fresh ammo against CEC day before EC office rally

While Rahul, Priyanka, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and TMC's Derek O’Brien and Abhishek were detained briefly, Rahul and Priyanka resumed their sit-in inside Akashvani Bhavan after being released. The Gandhi siblings and Deepinder Hooda entered the Akashvani Bhavan premises from the reception gate. They were later seen sitting under a tree.

Security was stepped up around the area, with multiple barricades put up and a Vajra vehicle and drones deployed to monitor the protest. Opposition MPs carried cutouts depicting Kumar in an RSS uniform and raised slogans, including “Vote chor, gaddi chhod” and “Democracy not for sale”. In a post on X, Rahul posted, “Gyanesh it's done bro. Time to resign".

The MPs first gathered at Parliament's Makar Dwar before heading to Nirvachan Sadan, the EC headquarters. Ahead of the march, they questioned the security arrangements and stepped up their demand for CEC Kumar's resignation, citing the Supreme Court's observations on changes to Form 6, the statutory application for enrolment as a voter. Congress MP Imran Masood accused Kumar of eroding public trust in the EC.

Also read | Six things to watch as SC examines EC’s decisions

The INDIA bloc MPs earlier announced that they would also meet President Droupadi Murmu to raise concerns over the SIR exercise. The protest call over the SIR exercise was issued after a meeting of 19 Opposition parties on September 30. The EC, however, has rejected allegations of a split among its three-member body and maintained that decisions relating to SIR were taken unanimously.

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