The Congress mobilised thousands after a September 30 meeting of 19 opposition parties, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
When the march reached the National Capital Region, Delhi Police halted the delegation at the gates of the Election Commission, detaining several INDIA Bloc MPs and briefly holding Priyanka Gandhi, who was later released and joined Rahul Gandhi in the sit‑in outside NITI Aayog.
In response, the police erected a five‑layer barricade around the EC complex and mandated body‑cam usage for officers above the ACP rank to curb potential clashes.
The protest echoes a broader clash with the government, as the Indian Express reported that CEC Kumar had ignored two Election Commissioners’ concerns about voter roll deletions, a claim the EC dismissed as routine differences.
Congress is expected to file a formal complaint in the forthcoming parliamentary session.