Kumar Bahukhandi
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sit under a tree during Tuesday’s protest after INDIA bloc leaders were stopped from marching towards the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi. Delhi Police registered an FIR on Wednesday over the alleged unauthorised entry into the Akashvani Bhavan premises. Photo: AICC
Delhi Police action follows INDIA bloc’s protest march towards Election Commission; around 260 people, including 10 MPs, were detained during Tuesday’s demonstration
Key Highlights
- Delhi Police registered an FIR on Wednesday over the alleged unauthorised entry into Akashvani Bhavan.
- Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Congress leaders have been named in connection with the incident.
- The INDIA bloc had planned a march from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters.
- Police say no permission had been sought or granted for the march.
- Around 260 protesters, including 10 MPs, were detained during Tuesday’s confrontation.
- Rahul Gandhi and other leaders subsequently staged a prolonged sit-in inside the Akashvani Bhavan premises.
- The Opposition was protesting over the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
New Delhi: Delhi Police on Wednesday registered an FIR against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others over their alleged unauthorised entry into the Akashvani Bhavan premises during an INDIA bloc protest against the Election Commission of India a day earlier.
The police action follows Tuesday’s day-long confrontation in central Delhi after Opposition MPs and supporters attempted to march from Parliament House towards Nirvachan Sadan, the Election Commission headquarters.
According to Delhi Police, no application seeking permission for the proposed march had been submitted to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi district, and consequently no permission had been granted. Restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were in force in the New Delhi area.
March stopped near NITI Aayog
The Opposition march began at around 10.30 am on Tuesday. Police alleged that protesters crossed the first line of barricades and proceeded towards another barricade near the NITI Aayog building.
Repeated announcements were made asking demonstrators to comply with the restrictions and disperse peacefully, according to the police account. When protesters continued to remain in the area, police began detaining them.
Around 260 people, including 10 Members of Parliament, were detained and taken to different police stations in Delhi for further legal action, police said.
Protest shifts to Akashvani Bhavan
The confrontation subsequently moved to the Akashvani Bhavan complex.
Police alleged that Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal, Pawan Khera, Manish Chhathrath and around 50 to 60 supporters entered the premises without permission and began a sit-in.
Rahul Gandhi reportedly refused to leave, maintaining that the protesters would remain until a delegation of MPs was allowed to meet Election Commission officials.
The sit-in continued for several hours under a tree inside the premises, with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other Opposition leaders remaining at the site even as police sought to persuade them to leave.
Police eventually removed and detained the remaining protesters, saying intervention had become necessary to maintain law and order and prevent further escalation. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were among those taken away
Opposition’s protest centred on Election Commission
The INDIA bloc protest was directed against the Election Commission amid the Opposition’s allegations concerning electoral-roll revisions and what Congress has described as “vote chori”.
Opposition leaders have also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raised objections concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The Election Commission and the Opposition have sharply differed over these allegations and aspects of the electoral-roll revision process.
The FIR registered on Wednesday now adds a legal dimension to what had already developed into a major political confrontation between Opposition leaders and authorities in the national capital.
Police maintain that their actions were based on prohibitory orders, the absence of permission for the march and the need to maintain public order. The Congress and other Opposition parties, meanwhile, have portrayed Tuesday’s demonstration as part of their campaign over electoral transparency and the functioning of the Election Commission
