Indian police briefly detained opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and several other lawmakers in New Delhi on Tuesday during a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a contentious revision of the country’s voter lists.
Gandhi, a senior leader of the Congress party, was among opposition politicians detained after demonstrators encountered police barricades during a march toward the Election Commission of India headquarters. His sister and Congress lawmaker Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also among those detained. The lawmakers were later released.
The demonstration was the latest in a series of protests organized by opposition parties, student groups and the youth-led “Cockroach” movement over changes to electoral rolls.
Opposition parties accuse the Election Commission of revising voter registrations in ways that favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission and the BJP have denied the allegations.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Election Commission of acting at the government’s behest and said the opposition was protesting to protect the country’s democratic institutions.
BJP leaders rejected the accusations, arguing that opposition parties were making unfounded allegations against the Election Commission.
During Tuesday’s march, lawmakers carried placards and Indian flags and chanted slogans calling for Kumar’s resignation. Hundreds of police personnel were deployed around central New Delhi, with barricades preventing protesters from reaching the Election Commission headquarters.
India began its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar last year ahead of state elections. The process has since expanded to most states and federally administered territories.
Critics of the revision argue that documentation requirements could make it difficult for some eligible citizens to remain registered and potentially exclude large numbers of voters.
The Election Commission maintains that the exercise is intended to remove duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible entries and protect the integrity of the electoral system. It has also instructed officials to register eligible voters who may have been inadvertently omitted.
The protests have intensified over the past week as opposition parties and youth groups increase pressure on Kumar to step down.
Gandhi and other lawmakers also staged a sit-in near the Election Commission headquarters after the march. Police later broke up the demonstration and detained several participants before releasing them.
The Election Commission said it received a request to meet with the lawmakers but that the proposed venue did not comply with its protocols. Opposition lawmakers rejected an offer to instead submit their memorandum to an Election Commission official.
