Delhi Police files FIR against Rahul, Priyanka over Akashvani Bhawan entry

• Delhi Police books Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others over alleged unauthorised entry into Akashvani Bhawan

• The leaders were among 260 people detained after an eight-hour sit-in following the blocked INDIA bloc march to the ECI

• Opposition parties protested alleged electoral irregularities and demanded accountability from CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, their supporters and other Opposition MPs for allegedly entering the Akashvani Bhawan premises without permission during an INDIA bloc protest against the Election Commission on 6 October, officials said on Wednesday.

The case was registered following a police complaint alleging that the Congress leaders and their supporters forcibly entered the Akashvani Bhawan complex after the Opposition march towards the Election Commission was stopped by police.

Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi were among 260 people detained on Tuesday after Opposition MPs staged a sit-in inside the premises for more than eight hours. The protesters had attempted to march from Parliament to the Election Commission office, demanding action over what they alleged were irregularities in the functioning of the poll panel and the revision of electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The Opposition has accused the Election Commission of facilitating “vote chori” and has demanded accountability from chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

According to Delhi Police, the INDIA bloc parties had planned to march from Parliament House to the Election Commission headquarters. Police said no application seeking permission for the march was submitted to the office of the deputy commissioner of police, New Delhi, and consequently no permission was granted.

The march was stopped by police barricades as the protesters approached the Election Commission. Several Opposition leaders were detained during the ensuing standoff.

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with other MPs and supporters, subsequently entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises and continued their protest, insisting that they be allowed to meet the election commissioners.

Police later removed the protesters from the premises and detained them. The FIR now adds a fresh legal dimension to the confrontation between the Opposition and authorities over the electoral-roll revision and the functioning of the Election Commission.

The allegations in the FIR are under investigation, and further details of the sections invoked and the individuals named are awaited.

With PTI inputs