Police ended an opposition sit-in demanding the election chief's resignation over revised voter lists. Delhi Police said Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra and others were detained to keep the peace.
Indian police broke up an opposition sit-in in New Delhi on Tuesday and briefly detained Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other lawmakers who had demanded the election chief's resignation. They argue that a revision of voter lists favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.
Dozens of lawmakers led by Gandhi marched on the Election Commission of India headquarters and then sat on white mattresses under a tree. Police ended the sit-in in the evening and took several of them away in vehicles. Delhi Police said Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Vadra, and others were detained under the law to maintain peace and public safety.
Before the detentions Gandhi said they would sit as long as they had to. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Congress lawmakers were misleading the country with baseless claims about the commission.
The election commission said it received a request to meet the lawmakers late on Tuesday, but that the venue they suggested did not match commission protocol. Reuters did not report a resignation or a new voter-roll order.
The detentions were described as brief. No charge sheet from Tuesday's protest was included in the Reuters account.
People Sentiments Negative
- Rahul Gandhi said the lawmakers would sit as long as they had to.
- Sudhanshu Trivedi said Congress claims about the election commission were baseless.