Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, condemned the registration of a police case against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other INDIA bloc leaders following their protest outside Akashwani Bhawan in New Delhi. The First Information Report (FIR) was filed by the Delhi Police after the opposition leaders entered the Akashwani Bhawan premises during a march against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

What Jairam Ramesh Said

In a post on X, Ramesh alleged that Rahul Gandhi had spent nearly two years 'relentlessly exposing, through factual evidence, the Vote Chori conspiracy hatched between the PM and the HM on one side and the CEC on the other.' He characterised the SIR process — which he termed 'Shahenshah Instigated Removal' — as an 'atrocious' exercise through which 'crores of genuine voters' had allegedly lost their constitutional right to vote.

Ramesh argued that when the opposition resorted to 'Satyagraha' to highlight what Congress described as SIR-related injustices, the state responded with an FIR rather than engagement. 'The diabolical duo is nervous, rattled and desperate. The writing on the wall is clear,' Ramesh said in his post.

How Tuesday's Protest Unfolded

The sequence of events began on Tuesday when the INDIA bloc organised a march from Parliament towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters. Delhi Police stopped the procession near Akashwani Bhawan, preventing the protesters from proceeding further.

According to reports, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among those who entered the Akashwani Bhawan campus through the reception gate and subsequently staged a sit-in under a tree on the premises. Police personnel asked the protesters to vacate the area repeatedly, but the leaders continued their demonstration for several hours before being detained by the Delhi Police. They were later released.

Core Demand: ECI Chief's Resignation

The opposition leaders were demanding concrete action on the electoral-roll revision exercise and calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The Congress and its allies have argued that the SIR process has resulted in the disenfranchisement of a large number of legitimate voters, allegations that the Election Commission has not publicly addressed in detail as of Wednesday.

Background: The SIR Controversy

The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has drawn sustained opposition criticism in recent months. Critics argue the process has led to the deletion or non-inclusion of valid voter registrations, disproportionately affecting marginalised communities. The ruling establishment has maintained that electoral roll revision is a routine administrative exercise designed to improve accuracy. The dispute has now escalated from parliamentary debate to street protest and, following Tuesday's events, to a formal criminal complaint.

What Comes Next

The FIR sets the stage for a sharper political confrontation, with the Congress likely to amplify the 'political victimisation' narrative ahead of upcoming electoral cycles. Legal experts note that the leaders' detention and subsequent release, combined with the FIR, could serve as a rallying point for the opposition. How the Delhi Police and the courts handle the case will be closely watched by civil liberties advocates and election-law scholars alike.