The Gandhi siblings were detained after Rahul Gandhi led an Opposition march to the ECI and joined a sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and raising allegations over the SIR of voter rolls.’
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, October 6: Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were released around 10 pm on Tuesday after being detained by the Delhi Police for nearly two hours, capping a nine-hour confrontation with the authorities during their protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission’s handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.
The Gandhi siblings were detained around 8 pm after spending several hours in a sit-in at the Akashvani Bhavan premises, close to the Election Commission’s headquarters. They were taken to Kingsway Camp Police Station in north Delhi and released around 10 pm. Visuals showed police personnel escorting and, at points, dragging Rahul and Priyanka towards a waiting bus as Congress workers attempted to intervene.
The detention came after Rahul Gandhi led an INDIA bloc march from Parliament towards Nirvachan Sadan, demanding Kumar’s resignation and raising allegations of irregularities in the SIR exercise. The march was stopped by police barricades before it could reach the Election Commission’s office, triggering a prolonged standoff.
सब याद रखा जाएगा https://t.co/2A6KHcft9f
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 6, 2026
This was the second time the Gandhi siblings were detained during Tuesday’s protest. They had been briefly taken into a police bus around noon before being allowed to return to the demonstration.
Addressing reporters during the sit-in, Rahul Gandhi questioned why the Election Commissioners were unwilling to meet more than 300 Opposition MPs.
“The Election Commission office is barely 50 metres away, but we were not allowed to go there. I do not understand what the problem is,” Gandhi said. “At least 300 MPs want to meet Gyanesh Kumar. But he is scared. I don’t know what’s happening in the country.”
“If the representatives of the people cannot meet the Election Commission, then what is the meaning of democracy?” he asked.
Congress sources said the party had written to the Election Commission seeking an appointment with the Chief Election Commissioner and the two Election Commissioners.
A party source said Gandhi could consider ending the sit-in if the Commission gave an assurance that a meeting would be held within the next day or two. However, the source said Gandhi wanted all 300 MPs to participate.
READ: Why Won’t ECI Meet Us?’ Rahul Gandhi Questions Poll Panel, Stages Dharna
ECI says no meeting request received until 4 pm
The Election Commission, in a statement issued around 9 pm, disputed the Opposition’s account of the sequence of events and said established procedure required political parties to seek an appointment before a meeting was scheduled.
The Commission said it had not received a request for such a meeting until 4 pm on Tuesday.
It said that when it began considering the meeting proposal after 4 pm, the Delhi Police informed it that the proposed meeting involved around 240 MPs and was to be held at the Parliament House Annexe.
The ECI described the proposal as “unusual and unacceptable”, saying established protocol required such meetings to take place within its own premises.
The Commission said it then offered what it described as an “unprecedented” alternative — sending its most senior executive officer to the proposed venue to receive the MPs’ memorandum. According to the ECI, the offer was rejected.
🚨BIG BREAKING : Priyanka Gandhi EXPOSED Delhi police🔥🔥
They detained her.
They detained Rahul.
They dragged them to Kingsway Camp after an eight-hour sit-in at Akashvani.Then this 54-year-old woman climbed the gate, opened it from inside, and Congress workers poured in.
No bodyguards clearing the path.
No “we’ll call the lawyer.”
Just Priyanka, on the gate, for the leaders and workers locked inside.Bro, imagine your sister is locked in a police van after a peaceful protest, and your mother climbs that van door herself to get her out.
You’d tell that story for the rest of your life.That’s what Delhi saw tonight.
Shah ji, your police can detain.
Modi ji, your barricades can hold for a few hours.
But they can’t hold a woman who won’t sit quietly while her people are locked up. 🔥🔥🔥https://t.co/FyHfphGR1k
— The Rebel (@TheRebel_IN) October 6, 2026
Police cite law and order
The Delhi Police said no permission had been sought or granted for the protest.
“To maintain law and order and prevent the situation from escalating further, the Delhi Police had to take action to remove the protesters,” it said.
The police said Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other protesters were removed from the premises and detained “as required”, adding that the action was taken in accordance with the law and with public safety and maintenance of law and order as the priority.
The Opposition, however, maintained that the police action was being used to prevent elected representatives from reaching the Election Commission.
The protest had taken an unexpected turn when Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi entered the Akashvani Bhavan premises after police stopped the march near Parliament Street. Other Opposition MPs and workers also entered the premises, where the leaders continued their sit-in for several hours.
Opposition escalates campaign against Gyanesh Kumar
The protest is part of a wider INDIA bloc campaign against the Election Commission’s handling of the SIR exercise. Opposition parties have accused the poll panel of making unilateral decisions and allowing legitimate voters to be removed from electoral rolls. The ECI has rejected the allegations and maintained that the revision exercise is intended to identify and remove duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible entries.
The Congress has separately drawn up an extended campaign against the Election Commission, which it has begun referring to as the “Cheating Commission”.
Between October 10 and 20, the party plans a “Save Vote, Save Country” campaign at the block level, including bicycle and motorcycle rallies, distribution of leaflets and protests targeting Gyanesh Kumar.
From October 25 to November 25, the Congress plans booth-level chaupals involving senior leaders.
A major rally is scheduled at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1. On November 25 and 26, six marches are planned from different areas around Delhi under the “Chalo Delhi” programme, with the marches scheduled to converge in the capital on Constitution Day, November 26.
The Congress also plans to take up the Election Commission issue during Parliament’s winter session and has discussed moving an impeachment motion against the CEC.
The Opposition is simultaneously watching proceedings in the Supreme Court, where petitions concerning the Election Commission and its functioning are pending. The court has issued notices to Gyanesh Kumar and the ECI and is continuing to hear the matter.
The Supreme Court has so far declined to take immediate action against Kumar, observing that newspaper reports cannot automatically be treated as completely accurate. The proceedings are continuing.
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