Delhi Police on Wednesday registered an FIR over the entry of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other protesters into the Akashvani Bhavan premises during the INDIA bloc's march against the Election Commission. The case relates to events on Tuesday, October 6, when opposition MPs tried to march from Parliament House to the poll body's headquarters at Nirvachan Sadan.
The FIR has turned a street protest over voter rolls into a fresh legal and political flashpoint between the government and the opposition, with both sides showing no sign of backing down.
What Happened on October 6
Opposition MPs gathered on Tuesday to march to the Election Commission office and demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protest centres on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which the opposition alleges is being used to wrongly delete voters, a charge it sums up as "vote chori". The Election Commission has defended the exercise as a routine clean-up of the rolls.
According to police, no permission had been sought for the march, and prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were in force across the New Delhi area. The marchers were stopped a few hundred metres short of the Election Commission building.
Several opposition leaders then went into the premises of Akashvani Bhavan, the All India Radio building on Parliament Street, and staged a sit-in there. Police said Rahul Gandhi refused to vacate the premises, and the protesters insisted they would not leave until a delegation of MPs was allowed to meet officials of the Election Commission. The sit-in stretched on for hours.
Detentions and Release
Police said around 260 people, including 10 MPs, were detained and taken to New Police Lines at Kingsway Camp in north Delhi. All of them were released later on Tuesday night.
| Date of protest | Tuesday, October 6, 2026 |
|---|---|
| FIR registered | Wednesday, October 7, 2026 |
| Named in reports | Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other protesters |
| Allegation | Unauthorised entry into Akashvani Bhavan premises |
| Orders in force | Section 163, BNSS (prohibitory orders in New Delhi) |
| People detained | Around 260, including 10 MPs; all released |
| Core demand | Removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over SIR of voter rolls |
How Congress and BJP Reacted
Congress leaders dismissed the FIR as an attempt to intimidate the opposition. Party MP Imran Masood said Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of Opposition, had been accompanied by fellow MPs and had not forced his way in anywhere. He said the opposition would not step back from its protests because of a police case. Rahul Gandhi, who already faces several cases in different states, has repeatedly said that FIRs will not stop him from raising the issue.
The BJP, on the other hand, has accused the Congress of trying to discredit a constitutional body because of its electoral losses. BJP president Nitin Nabin criticised Rahul Gandhi over the protests against the Election Commission, and NDA leaders have described the campaign against the CEC as pure politics.
Not every opposition party joined the march. The Aam Aadmi Party had said earlier it would skip the protest and fight the issue in its own way, a sign that the INDIA bloc is not fully united on tactics.
The Bigger Battle Over the Election Commission
The FIR comes at a time when the dispute over the Election Commission is also playing out in the courts. The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a plea seeking recall of its September 23 split verdict on the law governing the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other election commissioners, passed in 2023.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police said it had arrested a 24-year-old man from Haryana's Palwal for allegedly circulating an AI-generated fake video that showed a police officer assaulting a woman at a Jantar Mantar protest, passing it off as real CCTV footage. Police have warned people against sharing such manipulated content.
What It Means for Voters
For ordinary voters, the core question is simple: is my name safely on the voter list? Whatever the political fight, citizens can check their enrolment on the Election Commission's voter services portal or with their local booth level officer, and file a claim or objection if their name is missing or wrong.
What Happens Next
Police will now investigate the FIR and may seek statements from those named. Legal experts say cases of this kind, linked to protests and prohibitory orders, often take time to move through the courts. Politically, the opposition has signalled it will keep up the pressure on the Election Commission, while the government is expected to defend the poll body strongly. With the Supreme Court also set to hear the CEC appointment matter, the coming weeks are likely to keep the issue firmly in the headlines.
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