New Delhi – Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with several other opposition MPs, were detained on Monday during a protest march from Parliament House to the Election Commission (EC) headquarters. The march was staged against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, which opposition parties allege is an attempt to “disenfranchise voters” ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections.
The protest, led by senior leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, T. R. Baalu, Sanjay Raut, Derek O’Brien, and Akhilesh Yadav, began at Parliament’s Makar Dwar with participants singing the national anthem. MPs wore white caps marked with a red cross over the words “SIR” and “vote chori,” and carried placards reading slogans like “SIR+Vote Theft=Murder of Democracy” and “SIR – Loktantra Par Vaar.”
Police stopped the procession midway at Transport Bhawan, erecting barricades and urging protesters via loudspeaker not to proceed further. Security arrangements were tight, and officers prevented the MPs from reaching the EC office on Parliament Street. In defiance, TMC MPs Mahua Moitra and Sushmita Dev, along with Congress MPs Sanjana Jatav and Jothimani, climbed the barricades, waving posters and shouting slogans demanding the rollback of SIR.
Opposition leaders accused the EC of colluding with the central government, a charge the poll body has denied. The issue has dominated the Monsoon Session of Parliament since July 21, with repeated adjournments and minimal legislative activity except for discussions on Operation Sindoor.
