Delhi Police Arrest Top Congress Leaders During Akashvani Bhawan Sit‑In

Delhi Police detained senior Congress figures Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with several party MPs at Akashvani Bhawan where they were staging a sit‑in against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.## What Happened The protest began after members of the INDIA bloc were blocked while trying to march to the Election Commission's Nirvachan Sadan. Congress MPs Pawan Khera, KC Venugopal and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring were among those taken into custody. Youth Congress and NSUI members, including IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib, were also arrested outside the building. New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma was on site during the operation.

Reaction

KC Venugopal, who leads the party’s organisational wing, said on X that the protesters would not leave until their demands are met and democracy is protected from what he called “vote churning.” Rahul Gandhi used the platform to criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging they were undermining the electoral process. The Press Information Bureau’s fact‑check unit later clarified that social media claims of a Home Ministry outreach to the detained leaders were false; the Congress members reiterated they will continue the dharna until they are allowed to meet the Election Commissioners.

Context

The sit‑in is part of the opposition’s “Save Democracy” campaign, which targets the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls. Such protests reflect growing tension between the ruling coalition and opposition parties ahead of upcoming elections.