Published Oct 07, 2026 | 4:19 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 07, 2026 | 8:44 PM
Rahul Gandhi was seen being lifted by the police and pushed into a tempo traveller. (Photo| X/ @INCIndia)
Synopsis: Delhi Police detained Rahul Gandhi and several INDIA bloc MPs on Wednesday after stopping their buses near Jantar Mantar, where they were planning to gather for a protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The action came amid heavy security and resistance from Opposition leaders and workers.
The national capital witnessed a confrontation between INDIA bloc MPs, led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and the Delhi Police for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, October 7, amid protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, who is facing allegations of “vote theft.”
The MPs, who had reached Jantar Mantar for a march demanding the CEC’s resignation, were stopped by the Delhi Police just metres away from the designated protest site.
Rahul Gandhi, flanked by party workers, was seen resisting attempts by the police to remove him from the site. Senior police officials were seen trying to convince Gandhi to not proceed with the rally.
However, Gandhi, along with other Opposition MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi, was forcibly removed from the site by police personnel despite resistance. Gandhi was seen being lifted by the police and pushed into a tempo traveller.
हम संविधान के लिए अपनी जान तक दे देंगे। https://t.co/wUQ8GhjFtM
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 7, 2026
Among those allegedly assaulted by the police were Congress MP Shafi Parambil and CPI(M) MP A.A Rahim. Parambil reportedly sustained injuries in the alleged assault.
Meanwhile, Congress workers surrounded the police vehicles, preventing the cops from transporting the detained leaders from the site. However, shortly after the police managed to move the vehicle, the bus carrying Rahul Gandhi suffered a puncture.
Congress chief ministers V.D Satheesan and Revanth Reddy have also reached the protest site.
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Speaking to reporters from inside the police vehicle, Gandhi reiterated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CEC Gyanesh Kumar and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will be brought to justice.
“They can do all this, but we are going to bring them to justice. It is my guarantee that all four of them will be brought to justice,” Rahul said.
“This is all panic reaction, this is all fear. Mark my words, they will be brought to justice. They’ve attacked the constitution, they’ve attacked the people’s voice. They are going to pay for it,” he said.
We are not going to stop protesting till Gyanesh Kumar resigns.
This is a fight to protect the most sacred thing in this country.
There is nothing that Narendra Modi and Amit Shah can do that will stop us. https://t.co/MgvabcQPPR
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 7, 2026
In a post on X earlier, Rahul Gandhi said that the Opposition will continue the fight and will not be scared of police action.
“Every FIR is a medal on my chest. Right now, there are 45; my goal is 100 – even then, we’ll keep fighting to defend the Constitution,” he said.
The protest was announced earlier in the day by Rahul Gandhi, after a lunch meeting of the INDIA bloc leaders hosted by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. The lunch meeting was held at the Sagar Ratna, a popular restaurant in Delhi‘s Connaught Place.
Emerging from the meeting, Gandhi told reporters, “Like I said yesterday, 300 MPs wanted to meet ECs yesterday but we were not allowed to meet them.”
“So today, our plan is to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar. We want to tell the country that Gyanesh Kumar is not a legitimate CEC. These people are desh-drohi. Gyanesh Kumar has to resign,” he said.
‘वोट चोर’ कहां मिलेंगे
BJP के दफ्तर में https://t.co/fXy7FJdjUI— Congress (@INCIndia) October 7, 2026
Among the Opposition leaders who attended the meeting were Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Manickam Tagore and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, Left leaders P Sandosh Kumar and V Sivadasan, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien and IUML MP Haris Beran.
Also Read: Chaos at Akashvani Bhawan: Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka forcibly removed after hours-long sit-in near ECI
The meeting came a day after the national capital witnessed fierce protests by the Opposition, led by the Congress. The protest started on the morning of October 6, as a march from the Parliament to the ECI office. It was stopped by the police using barricades, following which the Opposition MPs were detained; some of them were also allegedly assaulted by the police.
CPI(M) MP A.A Rahim alleged he was brutally assaulted by the police while being detained and transported in a police vehicle.
In a show of resilience, Rahul Gandhi was seen climbing on top of a barricade amid cheers from his supporters. He then slipped into the Akashvani Bhawan premises, where he and other Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K.C. Venugopal and Pawan Khera, staged a sit-in protest demanding a meeting with the CEC and the Election Commissioners.
After hours of protest, Delhi Police detained the Congress leaders and forcibly removed them from the premises, triggering a commotion.
The protest had been announced as part of the Opposition’s nationwide campaign against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over irregularities in the ECI’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise that led to the deletion of 13 crore voters from the electoral rolls.
The renewed scrutiny over the functioning of the ECI followed an investigative report by the Indian Express, which claimed that the CEC had taken decisions regarding the SIR without informing or despite multiple objections raised by, the other two Election Commissioners.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
