India's opposition MPs stopped by police on way to Election Commission

Top leaders of India's opposition alliance led by Rahul Gandhi today (6 October) marched from the Parliament House complex towards the Election Commission office in New Delhi but were stopped by police. 

They then staged a sit-in protest, demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other INDIA bloc leaders were stopped on Parliament Street near the NITI Aayog office. They were heading towards Patel Chowk, where the Election Commission headquarters is located.

The MPs sat on the road after police prevented them from moving ahead. They raised slogans including "BJP hai CEC hai", "Vote chor, gaddi chhod" and "Democracy not for sale". 

Some protesters also carried cutouts showing Kumar in an RSS uniform.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of trying to undermine voting rights and alleged that the chief election commissioner was acting on the government's instructions.

"The government is trying to eliminate the adult franchise we got after independence and the CEC is a puppet of the government. He does what Modi and Shah say," Kharge told reporters. "This will bring in dictatorship. We will keep fighting."

Security was tightened around the Election Commission headquarters ahead of the march. Security had also been increased at key points near the EC office since Friday (2 October)  as several organisations and opposition parties announced demonstrations over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.

The call for the march came after a meeting of 19 opposition parties on 30 September.

Opposition parties have criticised the Election Commission over the SIR exercise. 

The poll panel has rejected allegations of a split within its three-member body and said decisions related to the exercise were taken unanimously.