Rahul Gandhi detained at Delhi protest against India's election chief

Police in New Delhi on Tuesday briefly detained India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and other lawmakers during a march demanding the resignation of the country’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, over a disputed revision of voter lists.

An AFP reporter saw Gandhi standing on a police barricade waving an Indian flag before officers detained him along with other MPs. They were released soon afterwards, Dawn reported. Television channels said his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, was also detained as lawmakers tried to breach the barricades, The Express Tribune reported, citing Reuters.

“Save Democracy”

Holding a large banner that read “Save Democracy”, opposition MPs marched from parliament towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters, chanting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but were stopped by heavy police deployments. Some sat down in the street.

“The election commission is a puppet in the hands of the government. We are fighting to save our democracy,” said Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the Congress party.

Placards read “Gyanesh, it’s done, bro”, along with signs alleging electoral manipulation.

The dispute

• The accusation: opposition parties say the revised voter lists benefit Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and accuse the commission of acting at its behest
• The trigger: protests began after the Indian Express reported divisions within the poll body last month over the lists and voter registration procedures
• The concern: the reported differences over the voter lists and registration procedures raised questions about the commission’s neutrality
• The denial: the ECI says the revision is meant to ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls; the BJP also rejects the claims, and Kumar, who was appointed by Modi’s government, has not commented

A city on lockdown

Hundreds of security personnel, including paramilitary forces, were deployed in central Delhi. Barricades went up, several routes were closed, and television showed personnel with batons outside the commission’s office. Authorities advised people to avoid the protest areas.

Growing street pressure on Modi

Protests demanding that Kumar step down began on Friday. Tuesday’s march was the latest in a series of almost daily protests by student groups, political parties and the popular “cockroach” youth movement, which began last week. Similar protests were held in Mumbai on Sunday by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

The protests are a fresh challenge to Modi midway through his third term, just months after demonstrations forced his education minister to resign over exam paper leaks.

The courts step in

India’s Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear petitions seeking its intervention over the voter list revision and the conduct of the commission’s chief. If “there are decisions against the law… We will take care of it,” the court said.

Why it matters

Doubts over the neutrality of the body that runs India’s elections strike at the heart of its democracy. The detention of the opposition leader on the streets of the capital shows how deep the confrontation between Modi’s government and its critics has become. Read our earlier report on the cockroach movement’s protests against the poll chief.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn, The Express Tribune, AFP and Reuters.