Rahul fighting SIR, ‘diabolical duo’ busy filing FIR: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, lashed out at the Union government after the Delhi Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for allegedly entering Akashvani Bhawan without permission during an Opposition protest the previous day. Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah a “diabolical duo,” the party said the government was “nervous, rattled and desperate” in the face of sustained political pressure over alleged voter-roll irregularities.

FIR after protest at Akashvani Bhawan

Delhi Police officials said the FIR was filed following a complaint that Mr. Gandhi, Ms. Gandhi Vadra, their supporters, and several Members of Parliament accompanying them “entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises without permission.” The incident occurred on Tuesday, October 6, during an Opposition march towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) that was halted by the police, prompting a sit-in inside the building.

Congress escalates charge of ‘vote chori’

In a sharp response posted on X, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the party’s Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has “for almost two years” been presenting “factual evidence” to expose what he called a “Vote Chori conspiracy hatched between the PM & the HM on one side and the CEC on the other.” He claimed “crores of genuine voters have lost their Constitutional right to vote through the atrocious process of SIR — ‘Shahenshah Instigated Removal’.”

Mr. Ramesh added that when Mr. Gandhi adopted “the method of satyagraha to highlight the injustices of SIR,” the Delhi Police registered an FIR against him and other leaders. “The diabolical duo is nervous, rattled and desperate. The writing on the wall is clear,” he said.

Later, speaking to PTI, Mr. Ramesh said that “while Rahul Gandhi was fighting SIR, the diabolical duo was busy filing FIR.”

INDIA bloc’s sit-in and detentions

The FIR follows a day of heightened political confrontation in the capital. On Tuesday, October 6, the two Congress leaders were among 260 people detained after an Opposition INDIA bloc march towards the ECI was stopped by the police. The standoff led to an over eight-hour sit-in inside Akashvani Bhawan, where the Opposition MPs and supporters protested what they allege are serious irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The demonstrations centred on the Opposition’s charge of “vote chori” and their objections to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Focus on Special Intensive Revision of rolls

The Special Intensive Revision — officially a process to update and verify electoral rolls — has become a flashpoint between the Opposition and the government. While the Congress and its allies contend that the exercise has resulted in the deletion of large numbers of legitimate voters from the rolls, the party’s leadership has sharpened its rhetoric by dubbing SIR “Shahenshah Instigated Removal” — a phrase Mr. Ramesh used to allege political direction behind the process. These claims, framed by the Congress as a constitutional rights issue, have been central to the INDIA bloc’s campaign against the ECI’s recent functioning.

Statements and reactions

In his social media post, Mr. Ramesh asserted that Mr. Gandhi has been “relentlessly exposing” the alleged conspiracy for nearly two years, positioning Tuesday’s sit-in as a non-violent protest to draw attention to what the party calls the disenfranchisement of “crores” of voters. The Congress framed the FIR as an attempt to intimidate Opposition leaders amid growing scrutiny of the electoral roll revision process.

Delhi Police officials, for their part, said the FIR stemmed from a complaint alleging unauthorised entry by the two senior Congress leaders, their supporters and accompanying MPs into Akashvani Bhawan. Further details of the complaint or the specific legal provisions invoked were not immediately disclosed.

What happens next

The FIR marks the latest escalation in the Opposition’s confrontation with law enforcement and the ECI over the electoral rolls issue. While the Congress signalled that it will continue to spotlight what it terms “vote chori,” the police case over the alleged breach at Akashvani Bhawan opens a parallel track of legal scrutiny for the leaders involved. No immediate timeline for further action by the police was announced.

Conclusion

The clash over the Akashvani Bhawan protest has amplified the Opposition’s allegations surrounding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and intensified its campaign against the ECI’s current leadership. With the Congress portraying the FIR as politically motivated and the police citing unauthorised entry, the dispute appears set to continue both in the legal arena and on the political stage.