Indian police detain Rahul Gandhi, opposition lawmakers in election protest

NEW DELHI — Indian police on Wednesday detained opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and multiple lawmakers during a spontaneous protest near the Election Commission headquarters, marking their third arrest in as many days. The demonstration centred on calls for the resignation of the election chief, whose office recently implemented a controversial revision of voter rolls that has drawn criticism from opposition parties. The detentions underscored escalating tensions between India's ruling government and opposition groups over electoral administration practices. Police said the protesters were held for staging an unauthorised demonstration in a restricted area. The timing of the voter list revisions, coming ahead of upcoming elections, has become a focal point of political controversy, with opposition parties contending the changes could disenfranchise certain voter groups. The repeated detentions of high-profile opposition figures signal intensifying political friction in the country. Gandhi's Indian National Congress party, a major opposition faction, has positioned the electoral commission's actions as a critical governance issue requiring urgent intervention from national leadership.