New Delhi, August 11: A massive opposition protest over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar and alleged “vote theft” led to the detention of several senior MPs, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, on Monday. The march from Parliament House to the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters was halted by police barricades near Transport Bhawan, triggering a dramatic standoff.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Jairam Ramesh, DMK leader T.R. Baalu, TMC’s Derek O’Brien, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among those detained and taken to the Parliament Street police station. Protesters, wearing white caps marked with a red cross over “SIR” and “vote chori,” chanted slogans, carried placards reading “SIR+Vote Theft = Murder of Democracy,” and demanded an immediate rollback of the Bihar voter list revision.
TMC MPs Mahua Moitra and Sushmita Dev, along with Congress leaders Sanjana Jatav and Jothimani, mounted the barricades in defiance, accusing the ECI of collusion with the government. Rahul Gandhi told reporters the protest was “not political, but to save the Constitution” and ensure the right to one person, one vote.
The Opposition has been disrupting both Houses of Parliament since July 21, alleging that the SIR is aimed at disenfranchising voters ahead of the Bihar assembly polls later this year—a claim the ECI denies. Police maintained that the march violated security protocols and urged MPs to limit the delegation, but protesters refused, escalating the confrontation.
