New Delhi: In the national capital on Tuesday (October 6), Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi sat locked in an eight-hour standoff with the Delhi Police, before being forcibly detained, after he was not allowed to reach the Election Commission of India headquarters to meet Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid the ongoing uproar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and calls for the poll body head’s resignation. The standoff came after a march of opposition MPs from parliament to the Election Commission of India demanding the CEC’s resignation was stopped by Delhi Police.“We Represent the People of India. Why have 300 MPs been Stopped and Denied Access to the Election Commission?”: LoP Rahul Gandhi#VoteChori #Delhi #India https://t.co/JVMhbSPRS6— The Wire (@thewire_in) October 6, 2026“I am not interested in what the BJP says. I am standing here to protect democracy in the country. Along with me, until a few hours back, 300 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs had come with me and they are also trying to protect democracy,” Gandhi said while addressing reporters from inside the Akashwani Bhawan premises where he was in a standoff with police in a bid to reach the Election Commission office.“Amit Shah, Narendra Modi and Mohan Bhagwat, Gyanesh Kumar, these people have destroyed the country’s democracy. The people and the youth of the country also understand this. They have hijacked the country. None of them will be spared. What has been done to our country is treason, nobody will escape.”Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi climbs atop police barricades after being stopped by security personnel during a protest march from Parliament towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) office, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. Photo: PTI/Salman Ali.While opposition MPs began their march on Tuesday at around 11am from Parliament, seeking to reach the Election Commission, they were stopped in front of the NITI Aayog building. Gandhi there climbed on the police barricades, and was joined by other MPs from the opposition including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Abhishek Banerjee (AITC). As the MPs sought to move towards the Election Commission, police began detaining the MPs and taking them into buses. Gandhi then in a surprise move, crossed the road, and entered the Akashwani Bhawan premises at about 12.20 pm in a bid to reach the Election Commission’s office located just behind. He was later joined by other Congress MPs including Gandhi Vadra, Charanjit Singh Channi, Pawan Khera, Deepender Hooda. While other opposition MPs including Akhilesh Yadav, Derek O’Brien were detained by the police in the meantime. Gandhi and the other Congress MPs then sat down under a banyan tree at the Akashwani Bhawan premises for over eight hours demanding that he be allowed to go to the Election Commission that lay barely 100 meters away. Heavy security presence and police barricades cordoned off the area, while Gandhi and the other MPs sat at the Akashwani premises. While the plan was to use a gate inside the Akashwani premises to reach the Election Commission, they instead chose to sit under the banyan tree. Mattresses, and sheets were brought in for the MPs to sit on while attempts were made to convince Gandhi to leave by the police.LoP Rahul Gandhi, MP Priyanka Gandhi and other Congress MPs continued to sit outside Akashvani Bhavan amid a heavy security presence. @SravastiDasgup2 reports for The Wire.#VoteChori #Delhi #India https://t.co/FBRNZqOkqG— The Wire (@thewire_in) October 6, 2026“All I want to do is meet the Chief Election Commissioner and tell him that he has done ‘vote chori’. I can continue to sit here. I am comfortable here. If they don’t want us to sit here, give us some other site,” Gandhi said.Several other opposition MPs including CPI(M) John Brittas, CPI’s P. Sandosh Kumar, Congress’s Sasikanth Senthil and Shafi Parambil, Jebi Mather, who attempted to enter the premises later were detained. “Delhi is under siege. The MPs had only said we will march to the Election Commission but the police have used all heinous measures as though we are part of an enemy nation. This is how they try to suppress dissent and protest. This will not work, the protection given to Gyanesh Kumar will finish off Modi and Shah,” said Brittas to The Wire.Mather who was only standing in front of the Akashwani premises was surrounded by several police officers, following which she was detained.“INDIA alliance MPs were walking peacefully but they stopped us and from then on they are treating us like terrorists in our own country. Why are we being stopped like this? Why so much police force? What are Modi and Shah scared of? Why are they not allowing us to meet the EC?” she said to The Wire.By mid-afternoon while several Congress workers attempted to enter the Akashwani premises, they were removed by the police even as sloganeering continued intermittently outside. At around 6pm, TMC MPs Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra also reached the premises. “If EC Hadn’t Done Vote Chori, They Would Agree to Meet Us”: LoP Rahul Gandhi#VoteChori #Delhi #India https://t.co/6LF9gmfP3H— The Wire (@thewire_in) October 6, 2026It was only by late evening that things took a dramatic turn when the police and security forces presence increased and they created a cordon in front of Akashwani premises, asking even media personnel to move aside.At around 7.30 pm, the police entered the Akashwani Bhawan premises and forcibly removed the Congress MPs even as both the Gandhi siblings attempted to resist arrest. Gandhi was later seen attempting to jump out of a bus in which he was detained.Sources in the opposition said that about 30 MPs including Gandhi, were detained and taken to Kingsway Camp, following which they were released a little after 10 pm.Close Up: LoP Rahul Gandhi Forced into Detention by Several Policemen#VoteChori #Delhi #India https://t.co/fVpbLZ9Uao— The Wire (@thewire_in) October 6, 2026Election Commission says it did not know of marchThe Election Commission, on the other hand, which had remained silent throughout the day released a statement following the MPs detention from Akashwani. The poll body said in its statement the Election Commission said that it learnt of the opposition MPs’ march from the Delhi police at around 4 pm and that no party had reached out to it before seeking an appointment for a meeting. However, the INDIA bloc had announced the October 6 march after its meeting on September 30.Also read: How the Modi Government Could Have Avoided the Opposition Protest“Earlier today, during the march of certain political parties towards the Election Commission it was learnt through the media that some Members of Parliament wished to meet the Commission along with their delegation. With regard to today’s development it is clarified that till 4pm today no political party, through its representatives had sought an appointment for a meeting with the Election Commission,” the EC statement said.While the road to the Election Commission remained barricaded through the day, the poll body in its late night statement said that at around 4 pm information was received from Delhi Police that the leader of opposition wished to meet the Commission and submit a memorandum along with other MPs and the ‘Parliament House Annexe’ was suggested as the venue, which could not be accepted according to the poll body’s protocols.“After 4.00 PM today, when the Election Commission was considering the above proposal for the above-mentioned meeting with the Hon’ble MPs, it was informed by the DCP, Delhi Police, that the meeting being sought was to be held with a group of 240 MPs and that the proposed venue was the Parliament House Annexe. The Election Commission considered this request as unusual and therefore, could not be accepted, as, in accordance with ECI protocol, such meetings are held only on the premises of the Election Commission of India,” the statement said.“ECI proposed that its senior-most officer on duty could be sent to the meeting venue toreceive the memorandum of the Hon’ble MPs, which in itself would have been an unprecedented step. However, this offer was also declined by the Hon’ble MPs.”