Rahul Gandhi detained during Opposition march to EC protesting Bihar SIR

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was among several senior opposition figures detained on Monday after police stopped a march to the Election Commission (EC) headquarters protesting against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Trinamool Congress MPs Mahua Moitra and Derek O’Brien, and others were also among those detained.

The march, which followed a request from the Opposition to meet the EC over the issue, was halted by police at Transport Bhawan, a short distance from the EC office.

Delhi police stated that the organisers of the march had not sought any permission ahead of the protest.

Protest 'not political' but to 'save democracy': Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi, addressing reporters while being taken away by police, said the protest was “not political” but aimed at protecting the Constitution and the principle of “One Man, One Vote".

He accused the EC of remaining silent on allegations of manipulation, asserting, “The truth is in front of the country. This fight is to save democracy.”

Several political leaders participated in the march, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, and DMK leader T R Baalu.

Some MPs, including Moitra and Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, climbed police barricades while raising slogans against the EC.

Bihar SIR voter roll controversy

The Opposition has accused the SIR, an EC-led exercise to verify and update electoral rolls, of being a politically motivated attempt to disenfranchise voters ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections later this year. The EC has denied the allegations.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote to the EC last week seeking a meeting to discuss the SIR and other electoral issues, but the Opposition claims their request has not been addressed.

Separately, Rahul Gandhi has also accused the Election Commission of India of colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to rig the 2024 Lok Sabha elections through voter fraud in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Chief Electoral Officers of Karnataka and Maharashtra have asked the LoP to submit these allegations under oath as per the Representation of the People Act, 1951.