Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his sister, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained by Delhi Police on Wednesday after they staged a sit-in with other Opposition leaders near the Shangri-La hotel in central Delhi.
The leaders were headed to Jantar Mantar in buses to stage a protest against the Election Commission when police stopped them from proceeding further. They then staged a sit-in at the roundabout near the hotel.
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were taken to different locations following the protest. Rahul Gandhi was taken to Barakhamba Road police station, while Priyanka Gandhi and other leaders were detained at Chhatrasal Stadium. Both were released a little after 8 pm.
During the protest, Priyanka Gandhi lay on the road along with other women leaders while carrying a copy of the Constitution. A large number of security personnel gathered at the site.
Police personnel first removed Rahul Gandhi from the spot and put him inside a police bus after carrying him on their shoulders. Some Congress leaders, including Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Udai Bhanu Chib, climbed onto the bus, while Mumtaz Patel sat on its bonnet.
A large posse of women police personnel subsequently removed Priyanka Gandhi and other women leaders who were lying on the road and took them away in buses.
“This is how they treat members of Parliament who are asking simply to meet the election commissioners. This is how they treat us. They are beating members of Parliament,” Priyanka Gandhi said.
“Their policemen have scratched me all over. They have thrown us to the ground and now we are not going to leave from here. Let them call their forces back. I will not move from here,” she added.
As he was being taken away in the police bus, Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition’s protest would continue until Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resigns.
“We are not going to stop protesting till Gyanesh Kumar resigns. This is a fight to protect the most sacred thing in this country,” Gandhi said in a post on X.
In a video attached to the post, Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Gyanesh Kumar “are going to be brought to justice”.
“This is all panic reaction. This is all fear. They are going to be brought to justice, mark my words,” he said.
Gandhi also alleged that the four had “attacked the most sacred thing in this country”, referring to the Constitution and “the voice of the people”.
Earlier, Opposition MPs held a lunch meeting at a restaurant in central Delhi before heading towards Jantar Mantar in buses. Several other Opposition MPs were also detained by the police.
The Congress later said the bus carrying Rahul Gandhi was punctured near Agrasen Ki Baoli. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge shared pictures and a video of Gandhi’s detention and alleged that an “arrogant regime” could not hold out for long against the people.
“To save the Constitution and democracy, the Congress Party and the opposition are ready to take to the streets as many times as needed, face arrests, or endure legal cases,” Kharge said in a post on X.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal also criticised the detentions, saying the action would not deter the party from continuing its protest.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Opposition leaders were attempting to reach Jantar Mantar to protest against what he described as the “capture of the electoral system through the CEC”.
The Congress leaders’ statements were part of their broader criticism of the Election Commission and its handling of electoral issues.
