Police detain INDIA bloc leaders after march is halted

Police detained Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other INDIA bloc leaders on October 6 after stopping their march to the Election Commission of India in New Delhi and clearing an hours-long sit-in at Akashvani Bhawan. The demonstration was organized to press for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over opposition allegations of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. The march began near Parliament and was halted by police near the NITI Aayog office, before reaching the Election Commission headquarters. After sitting in protest at the barricades, Rahul Gandhi and other leaders continued their demonstration at Akashvani Bhawan, near the Commission. Police later moved to clear the premises and detained the protesters. Reports described the sit-in as lasting about eight to nine hours; they did not establish a consistent total for those detained. The protest involved INDIA bloc lawmakers, including Congress leaders and representatives of other opposition parties. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O’Brien were among those reported detained during the march.