Delhi Police have registered an FIR following a complaint alleging that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with other Opposition MPs, entered the Akashvani Bhavan premises without permission during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The case was registered after police stopped an Opposition march towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters, an officer familiar with the matter said.

The FIR came a day after at least 300 Opposition lawmakers marched from Parliament towards Nirvachan Sadan, seeking Kumar’s resignation. Police stopped the protesters outside the ECI headquarters and detained more than 250 people during the demonstration. The Opposition has been protesting over allegations of electoral manipulation, while the BJP has rejected the charges.

After the march was stopped, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and around 20 other Opposition leaders moved into the Akashvani Bhavan campus, which is located next to Nirvachan Sadan. They continued their protest at the premises until around 8pm before police detained them. A senior police officer confirmed that an FIR had been registered and said further investigation was underway.

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The detention of the leaders led to a tense confrontation between the protesters and police. A large police contingent took Rahul away and placed him in a bus, while the Congress alleged that he, party general secretary KC Venugopal and others were manhandled and dragged into vehicles. The detained leaders were taken to Kingsway Camp and were released at around 10:15pm.

The complaint that led to the FIR alleged that the Opposition leaders entered the Akashvani Bhavan premises without authorisation after their march was halted. Police also said some Congress workers later reached the New Police Lines area and allegedly attempted to scale the walls of the premises. However, details of the sections invoked in the FIR and the full list of people named in the complaint were not immediately available.

The protest is part of the Opposition’s broader campaign demanding Kumar’s resignation over allegations concerning the conduct of elections. The BJP has rejected the allegations and criticised the demonstrations. The latest FIR is expected to add another legal dimension to the confrontation between the Opposition and authorities over the Election Commission, with the police probe now underway.

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