Indian Opposition Lawmakers Briefly Detained During Protest Demanding Election Chief's Resignation

Several opposition legislators were briefly detained by police in New Delhi after attempting to breach barricades during a high-profile protest march. The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a contentious revision of voter lists.

Rahul Gandhi, a prominent leader of the Congress party, was among the lawmakers detained in the Indian capital on Tuesday before being released shortly after, according to local media and the AFP news agency. This demonstration marks the latest development in a wave of near-daily protests initiated last week by student groups, opposition parties, and India's "Cockroach" youth movement.

Protesters accuse the polling body led by Gyanesh Kumar of manipulating voter registrations to favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters at the start of the march that the election commission acts as a puppet for the government.

In response, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra criticized the opposition prior to Tuesday's event, stating that Congress leaders have repeatedly failed and are attempting to foster anarchy in the country and attack its institutions.

During the approximately 1km march from parliament to the Election Commission headquarters through central New Delhi, lawmakers carried placards, waved the national flag, and chanted slogans against Gyanesh Kumar.

The controversy stems from India's Special Intensive Revision of voter lists, which began in Bihar last year ahead of state elections and has since expanded to most states and federally administered territories. Critics argue that the process demands confusing and hard-to-obtain documents, which could potentially exclude millions of eligible voters. Election Commission data indicates that voter rolls might shrink by up to 30 percent in certain regions.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission maintains that the revision is necessary to eliminate duplicate, deceased, or ineligible entries to preserve electoral integrity. On Friday, the body instructed officials to register any eligible voters who were mistakenly omitted from the rolls.