Delhi Police on Monday detained several INDIA bloc Members of Parliament, including Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, as they attempted to march to the Election Commission of India (ECI) office. Police cited a lack of permission for the protest, which was held to raise concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar and allegations of “voter fraud” during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Joint Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, Deepak Purohit, confirmed the detentions, stating that the MPs had been taken to a nearby police station. “There was no permission for a protest here, but we had intimation,” Purohit told ANI, adding that the exact number of detained MPs was still being ascertained.
The protest march commenced from the Makar Dwar of Parliament, led by Rahul Gandhi. The MPs, raising slogans of “vote chor” (vote thief), were en route to the ECI’s Nirvachan Sadan office when they were intercepted by police barricades.
#WATCH | Delhi: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, “…Election Commission jaanta hai ki uska data phatega. Jo woh chipane ki koshish kar raha hai, usko hum nikaal denge…” https://t.co/xRQ5rW9yXJ pic.twitter.com/jX7EHNcLNP
— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2025
New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Devesh Kumar reiterated the Election Commission’s prior arrangement for a limited delegation. “There was a permission for 30 MPs from the Election Commission. Since they were in large numbers, we detained them,” DCP Kumar stated. “We have informed them that 30 MPs will be allowed [to meet ECI]. We will take 30 MPs [to the Election Commission of India] when we get their names.”
Earlier in the day, the ECI had responded to a request from Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, granting an appointment for an interaction at 12 PM. The Commission’s secretariat had, however, requested a list of up to 30 individuals along with their vehicle numbers due to space constraints at the venue.