New Delhi, Aug 11: Within an hour into the Opposition's march to EC HQ, several prominent leaders from the INDIA bloc were detained by the Delhi Police on Monday while protesting against the recently passed SIR. Among those detained at the Transport Bhavan were Congress supremos Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, and TMC's Sagarika Ghose.
"The reality is that they cannot talk. The truth is in front of the country. This fight is not political. This fight is to save the Constitution. This fight is for One Man, One Vote. We want a clean, pure voters list," Rahul Gandhi said during the protest.
"The detained INDIA bloc leaders have been taken to a nearby Police Station. We are still counting the number of MPs detained. There was no permission for a protest here, but we had intimation... If they decide, we will facilitate them to the Election Commission Office. There is proper police arrangement in the ECI," Deepak Purohit, Joint CP New Delhi told ANI.
The march began from Parliament’s Makar Dwar with MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including leaders from the DMK, TMC, RJD, SP, and Left parties. Protesters donned white caps marked with a red cross over the words “SIR” and “vote chori” while carrying placards and banners. They also sang the national anthem before setting out, but their route was quickly blocked by police barricades at Transport Bhawan.
Several MPs, including TMC’s Mahua Moitra and Sushmita Dev and Congress’ Sanjana Jatav and Jothimani, along with SP leader Akhilesh Yadav climbed barricades and shouted slogans against the EC when stopped. Meanwhile, according to media reports, Moitra fainted after being detained by the police.
"They are using the police to stop us," the former UP chief minister shouted after jumping over three barricades. "We are protesting peacefully. We consider Mahatma Gandhi as our ideal..." Supriya Sule, NCP (SP) leader, told the media.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Police had said no permission was sought for the march. Security has been beefed up in the national capital in light of the protest, with multiple barricades and officers deployed to stop the protesters from reaching the EC’s Nirvachan Sadan office.
The protest comes in the backdrop of allegations by the Opposition of large-scale voter fraud in Bihar, with the SIR exercise accused of being politically motivated. Congress leaders have claimed that multiple entries for the same voter were found during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and demanded the EC release the voter list’s electronic data for independent verification.
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