Within an hour of beginning their march from Parliament’s Makar Dwar towards the Election Commission headquarters in Delhi, several senior leaders from the INDIA bloc — including Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, and TMC’s Sagarika Ghose — were detained by police on Monday. The protest was organised against the recently enacted SIR, which opposition leaders have described as politically motivated and detrimental to fair elections. Participants, including MPs from the DMK, RJD, SP, Left parties, and TMC, wore white caps marked with a red cross over the words “SIR” and “vote chori,” carried placards, and sang the national anthem before marching. However, their route was blocked by barricades at Transport Bhawan, leading to confrontations with police and the detention of multiple MPs.
Tensions escalated as leaders such as Akhilesh Yadav and Mahua Moitra climbed over barricades, shouting slogans against the EC, while several leaders, including Moitra, reportedly fainted after being detained. Rahul Gandhi, addressing reporters during the protest, emphasised that the demonstration was “not political” but aimed at “saving the Constitution” and ensuring “One Man, One Vote” with a “clean, pure voters list.” Delhi Police stated that no formal permission was granted for the march, citing security arrangements around the EC office. Joint CP Deepak Purohit confirmed that detained leaders were taken to a nearby police station and reiterated that protesters could be facilitated to the EC headquarters if they followed due process.
The demonstration follows the opposition’s allegations of large-scale voter fraud in Bihar during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with claims that multiple entries for the same voter were discovered. The SIR exercise has been accused of enabling manipulation of electoral rolls, prompting calls for the EC to release the complete voter list data for independent verification. The high-profile detentions mark a significant escalation in the opposition’s pressure on the government and the Election Commission, signalling that the SIR issue could become a central political flashpoint ahead of upcoming state and national elections.
