Rahul Gandhi, Indian opposition lawmakers detained over election chief protest for 2nd day

Indian police detained opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and several lawmakers for a third consecutive day on Wednesday, as they staged an unannounced protest demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition parties, their student units, and the youth movement known as the "cockroach" movement have been organizing daily demonstrations, seeking Kumar's resignation over allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

These concerns have been fueled by reports from the Indian Express newspaper, which highlighted disagreements within the poll panel about updating voter lists.

Rahul Gandhi led the protests on Tuesday, demanding a meeting with Kumar and his deputies. Police dispersed the gathering and briefly detained the lawmakers. On Wednesday, Gandhi's protest began after a lunch meeting organized by the Congress party at a restaurant in central Delhi, near the Jantar Mantar site, where authorities permit demonstrations.

Gandhi stated that Kumar is not the legitimate commissioner and called for his resignation. He and other lawmakers boarded a bus for Jantar Mantar, carrying posters with messages against vote theft and the BJP-affiliated election commission.

The bus was met with heavy police presence, including paramilitary personnel in riot gear, and the road leading to Jantar Mantar was closed, forcing the bus to take an alternate route. Gandhi emerged from the bus amidst a crowd of protesters and security personnel, while his sister, Priyanka Vadra, and other lawmakers were seen on the ground.

Live footage showed security personnel escorting Gandhi and Vadra away in separate vehicles. The police have not yet commented on the detentions, but the demonstrations have posed a new political challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his third term in office, following similar protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) youth movement that forced the resignation of the education minister over exam paper leaks. Kumar and the election commission have denied any wrongdoing in the voter lists issue.