Priyanka, Rahul briefly detained

Indian police briefly detained opposition leader Rahul Gandhi yesterday during a protest march to demand the resignation of the country’s election chief over a large-scale revision of voter lists.

Officers detained him along with other lawmakers but released them soon after.

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The revision of voter lists has drawn criticism over alleged irregularities in the decision-making process, with opposition politicians accusing the election commission of acting at the behest of Bharatiya Janata Party. Critics also say the drive has disproportionately affected marginalised and minority communities, especially Muslims.

The Election Commission of India has rejected allegations of wrongdoing, saying the revision process is aimed at ensuring the accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls.

Yesterday, opposition members began a march from parliament towards the commission’s headquarters, but were stopped by a heavy police presence.

“What has been done to our country is called treason. Nobody is going to escape,” Rahul told during the protest.

The protest has been ignited by a report last month by The Indian Express newspaper, which said that two of the election commission’s three members had formally objected at least 14 times to key decisions linked to the revision, and that the names of 130 million citizens had been deleted since the exercise began in 2025.

Protests began on Friday, demanding that commission chief Gyanesh Kumar step down. Kumar has not commented publicly.