Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi among opposition MPs detained while marching to Jantar Mantar seeking CEC's resignation

The INDIA bloc's agitation demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar intensified on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Delhi Police stopped Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several prominent opposition MPs midway as they marched towards Jantar Mantar, and detained them.

The agitation, which has been going on in Delhi for the past two days, has heated up the political atmosphere. The opposition has raised serious objections to the functioning of the Election Commission and to alleged changes in electoral rolls.

On Wednesday afternoon, INDIA bloc MPs met at a restaurant on Janpath. About 300 opposition MPs then set out for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar. Police cited security arrangements and tried to stop them. A heated argument followed between the police and the MPs. The opposition alleged that force was used against the MPs.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "This is how MPs who only want to meet the Election Commissioner are being treated. This is what is being done to us. MPs are being beaten. The policemen have scratched me all over. We were thrown on the ground. We are not going to budge from here now. Let them withdraw their force. I will not move from here."

The opposition MPs say the police beat them and stopped them from moving towards the protest site. The situation worsened during the action. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused women police personnel of pushing and shoving and of improper behaviour, and sat on a dharna on the road itself. She alleged that the police administration forcibly stopped her and that women personnel behaved wrongly.

After continued scuffling, police detained Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and the other MPs and took them away in a police bus. Some party workers climbed onto the bus and raised loud slogans.

A day earlier, on Tuesday, a similar attempt was made to march from Parliament to the Election Commission headquarters. That day, police detained the leaders after a dharna of about nine hours in the Akashvani Bhawan area. The opposition says it doubts the way CEC Gyanesh Kumar works and that he should step down. According to the opposition, the fight will continue until justice is delivered.

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, spoke openly about the cases, or FIRs, registered against him and other MPs. He said 45 FIRs have been filed against him so far, but he is not going to stop here and wants to take the number to 100. Rahul Gandhi said plainly that for him every FIR is like a medal.