Key facts
- Rahul Gandhi and other Indian opposition lawmakers were detained by police on Wednesday.
- The detentions mark the third time in two days that opposition leaders have been held.
- Protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- The opposition alleges that the Election Commission is manipulating voter lists to favor the ruling BJP.
- The Election Commission and BJP deny these allegations.
- The protest is related to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Indian police detained opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and several lawmakers for the third time in two days on Wednesday as they protested in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of the country's election chief. The protesters accuse Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of controversially revising voter lists to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), allegations that both the BJP and the Election Commission have rejected.
Videos circulated on social media showing police forcing Gandhi onto a bus and preventing him from exiting, highlighting the escalating standoff. Gandhi, along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Members of Parliament (MPs), had staged a day-long sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan after being stopped from marching to the Election Commission's office. The Election Commission stated it was open to meeting the opposition but objected to the large size of their proposed delegation and insisted meetings be held at their office.
The controversy stems from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which began in Bihar and has expanded nationwide. While the commission states the exercise aims to remove duplicate and ineligible voters, opposition parties and activists argue that eligible voters are being excluded and that the process is being conducted improperly. Election Commission data indicates that voter rolls could shrink by as much as 30 percent in some areas, with over 130 million names already removed from draft lists.