New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh) — The Delhi Police on Wednesday filed a formal police case against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and several INDIA bloc lawmakers following an unauthorized breach and extended demonstration inside the Akashvani Bhavan compound.
The action was initiated on a complaint by security personnel at the state broadcaster’s headquarters, who stated that protesters forced their way through the reception gates without requisite clearance. Law enforcement officials noted that the agitation occurred in direct defiance of prohibitory directives under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which restricts public gatherings across the New Delhi district.
The incident took place during an unpermitted Opposition procession marching from Parliament House toward Nirvachan Sadan. Demonstrators sought an audience with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to flag alleged discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, claiming procedural flaws amounted to voter disenfranchisement.
When police barricades blocked the march near Parliament Street, tensions flared. Rahul Gandhi scaled the perimeter barriers and slipped into the adjacent Akashvani Bhavan premises. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra—who had initially been placed into a police transport van—promptly stepped down and joined him on the broadcaster’s lawn, alongside senior parliamentarians including K.C. Venugopal, Deepender Singh Hooda, and TMC’s Derek O’Brien.
The demonstration evolved into a marathon sit-in lasting over seven hours, with Opposition figures refusing to leave until election officials agreed to receive their delegation. The Election Commission stated it had never received a prior formal request for a meeting. By late Tuesday night, police removed roughly 250 demonstrators, including around 50 sitting MPs, shifting them to New Police Lines at Kingsway Camp before completing their formal release.
Congress leaders criticized the police action as an effort to muzzle elected representatives challenging institutional oversight, whereas the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party characterized the event as manufactured disruption designed to evade legal protocols and undermine election authorities.
