Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is detained and taken away in a police van during an INDIA bloc protest march towards the Election Commission of India (EC) office, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, at Akashvani Bhavan, in New Delhi, on Tuesday (October 6).
LIVE | Rahul, other Congress leaders released by Delhi Police after detention
Hours after the INDIA bloc MPs marched towards the EC office and staged a day-long protest, the poll panel said no political party sought an appointment through its authorised representatives for a meeting with it till 4 pm
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.
Scroll below for Live updates.
Live Updates
- 6 Oct 2026 10:29 AM IST
Shiv Sena's Shaina NC slams INDIA Bloc’s ECI protest over SIR
Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC criticised the INDIA bloc MPs’ planned protest march to the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, questioning the basis of the Opposition’s agitation.
“This is not a march on the Election Commission. It is a decision that the Supreme Court has taken, which is that SIR is legal and constitutional. So what are you agitating against?” she said as quoted by ANI.
Shaina said the Opposition should reflect on its repeated electoral defeats instead of questioning the SIR exercise. She alleged that the revision was aimed at removing infiltrators and bogus voters.
“90 elections you have lost. You have not soul-searched on that,” she said.
She also questioned the Opposition’s approach of appearing before the Supreme Court in the morning and protesting on the streets later in the day.
“First resign as MPs and then talk about free and fair elections,” Shaina said, accusing the Opposition of pursuing “double-drama politics.”
- 6 Oct 2026 10:24 AM IST
Over 3,000 police personnel deployed ahead of Opposition protest
More than 3,000 police personnel have been reportedly deployed across New Delhi district ahead of the Opposition’s protest march. The deployment includes 27 companies of male personnel and four companies of female personnel, with each company comprising around 100-115 personnel.
Security has been tightened around Parliament, the Parliament Street roundabout and the gates of the Election Commission.
- 6 Oct 2026 10:21 AM IST
INDIA Bloc protest: Congress MP Imran Masood Targets DMK, AAP over absence
Uttar Pradesh Congress working president Imran Masood criticised parties that stayed away from the INDIA bloc’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying there was “no middle path” in the fight over democracy. Taking aim at the DMK and AAP, Masood said those who did not stand with Rahul Gandhi were effectively standing with the BJP, reported India Today.
Masood also accused Gyanesh Kumar of weakening public trust in the Election Commission and questioned why the BJP was backing the CEC.
- 6 Oct 2026 10:18 AM IST
Congress accuses CEC Gyanesh Kumar of poll ‘rigging’ in Bengal
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Election Commission’s handling of the West Bengal Assembly elections involved “mass manipulation and rigging” and accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of overseeing it. He said INDIA bloc MPs and other Opposition leaders invited to join the protest would march to the Election Commission on Tuesday, seeking Kumar’s resignation.
Ramesh also alleged that the heavy security deployment around Parliament reflected the government’s concern over the planned protest.
- 6 Oct 2026 10:15 AM IST
INDIA Bloc protest: P Sandosh Kumar seeks CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal
CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar said most Opposition MPs, along with other prominent leaders, would take part in the INDIA bloc’s protest march. He said the march would step up the ongoing agitation and called it a “historic march”, while seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, India Today reported.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s observations on changes to Form 6, Kumar said the Election Commission had earlier claimed that the changes were made with the court’s permission. He said the court’s latest observations had cast doubt on that claim and accused Gyanesh Kumar of misleading the country. According to Kumar, the issue had added another charge against the CEC, along with the Opposition’s allegations of vote theft.
- 6 Oct 2026 10:08 AM IST
TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee demands CEC’s resignation, alleges ‘vote chori’
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said he had joined the protest to demand the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, whom he called a ‘vote chor’. He alleged that the BJP had come to power through ‘vote chori’ in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as in Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal.
- 6 Oct 2026 10:06 AM IST
Visuals from Parliament's Makar Dwar ahead of INDIA bloc march
Visuals from Makar Dwar as Opposition MPs gather at Parliament ahead of their march to the Election Commission office, demanding action over the CEC Gyanesh Kumar issue.
