The Opposition has accused the Election Commission of facilitating “vote chori” and has demanded accountability from chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
According to Delhi Police, the INDIA bloc parties had planned to march from Parliament House to the Election Commission headquarters. Police said no application seeking permission for the march was submitted to the office of the deputy commissioner of police, New Delhi, and consequently no permission was granted.
The march was stopped by police barricades as the protesters approached the Election Commission. Several Opposition leaders were detained during the ensuing standoff.
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with other MPs and supporters, subsequently entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises and continued their protest, insisting that they be allowed to meet the election commissioners.
Police later removed the protesters from the premises and detained them. The FIR now adds a fresh legal dimension to the confrontation between the Opposition and authorities over the electoral-roll revision and the functioning of the Election Commission.
The allegations in the FIR are under investigation, and further details of the sections invoked and the individuals named are awaited.
With PTI inputs
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