Indian opposition MPs detained in protest against election chief

What the report says

Police in Delhi detained several opposition lawmakers on Tuesday after they tried to march to the Election Commission headquarters and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, according to BBC World News. The protest was led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was briefly taken onto a police bus along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi and other MPs before the group resumed its demonstration near the commission’s office.

The dispute centres on a nationwide revision of voter rolls known as the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR. Opposition parties say the exercise may be removing eligible voters and have accused Kumar of overseeing a process that could favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission and the BJP have rejected those claims, saying the review is meant to remove duplicate and ineligible names.

BBC reported that security was tightened around the commission headquarters as lawmakers marched from parliament. Police did not say how many MPs were detained, while the opposition said 237 lawmakers from multiple parties joined the protest. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also called for Kumar’s resignation, cancellation of the voter-roll exercise and a return to paper ballots.

The row has broader significance because it has fed concerns about trust in India’s electoral system. BBC also noted that the issue has reached the Supreme Court, which has asked the government and the Election Commission to respond to a petition challenging whether key decisions were made with the required approval of all election commissioners.