Tensions Escalate at Akashvani Bhavan as Rahul Gandhi and INDIA Bloc Leaders Detained

New Delhi, October 7: Tensions intensified in the national capital on Tuesday as INDIA bloc MPs staged a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. What began as a planned march from Parliament towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters developed into a prolonged confrontation between Opposition leaders and Delhi Police at Akashvani Bhavan.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, Congress MPs Pawan Khera and Imran Pratapgarhi, along with several other Opposition leaders, participated in the demonstration.

The INDIA bloc had sought to march towards the Election Commission to press its demand for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Police stopped the march near the heavily barricaded area surrounding the ECI headquarters. According to Delhi Police, restrictions on gatherings were in force in the New Delhi area and the march had not been authorised.

As the standoff continued, several Opposition MPs and supporters were detained. Rahul Gandhi was seen climbing over a police barricade before moving towards the protest site. The confrontation later shifted to the premises of Akashvani Bhavan, located close to the Election Commission headquarters.

Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Congress leaders entered the Akashvani Bhavan complex and staged a sit-in, demanding an opportunity to meet the Election Commission. The protest continued for several hours, turning the premises into the centre of a tense political standoff.

The situation became increasingly heated when police moved to remove the protesting leaders. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were detained and taken away in police vehicles. Visuals and reports showed security personnel physically removing the leaders from the premises. Congress leaders alleged that Gandhi, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal and others were manhandled and dragged into buses, while police maintained that the action was part of its enforcement of restrictions on the protest.

The detention of the Gandhi siblings and other Opposition leaders further intensified the political confrontation. The detained leaders were taken to the Kingsway Camp/New Police Lines facility and were later released.

The day’s events also resulted in a police case concerning the alleged entry of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other protesters into the Akashvani Bhavan premises without permission. Delhi Police registered an FIR and said further investigation was underway.

The Opposition has continued to raise allegations concerning electoral-roll revisions and has demanded greater accountability from the Election Commission. The BJP and the Election Commission have rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

The dramatic scenes at Akashvani Bhavan, including the detention of senior Opposition leaders, have brought the dispute between the INDIA bloc and the Election Commission into sharper public focus. The episode also underscored the growing political tensions surrounding electoral processes and the Opposition’s campaign against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.