India's Rahul Gandhi arrested during protest against vote theft

New Delhi police on Monday detained Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition members as they protested in Bihar against a controversial electoral roll that has raised concerns of disenfranchisement among India’s minorities, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

In June, the eastern state announced a revision of voter lists ahead of the upcoming elections. The move, which requires all potential voters in Bihar to provide proof of citizenship by July 25, has raised concerns of disenfranchisement across the country after giving many voters just weeks to prove their citizenship.

The opposition members were detained while marching from Parliament to the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in New Delhi, where they were stopped halfway through the march, PTI reported.

As police tried to break up the protest, some MPs climbed the barricade – which police had set up ahead of the march – and raised slogans against the ECI. The PTI said the protesters were carrying placards alleging “vote theft”.

A statement posted on Rahul's X account after his detention said: "The reality of vote theft is now before the country."

He added that this fight is not political - it is a fight to protect democracy, the Constitution and the right to 'one person, one vote'.

The Congress leader added, "The united opposition and every voter in the country demand a clean and transparent voter list."

According to PTI, other protesting legislators detained include Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)'s TR Balu, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut (Uddhav Thackeray), and Trinamool Congress' Derek O'Brien.

The report added that MPs from other opposition parties such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) were also detained.

According to a PTI report, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had earlier written to the ECI and asked it to discuss issues other than the special revision of electoral rolls.

Opposition leaders in the Indian Parliament have repeatedly discussed that the move is aimed at Voters are to be “disenfranchised” ahead of the September elections and have demanded the withdrawal of the announcement.

“After this, the MPs collectively want to meet the commission on a range of issues, including but not limited to the proposal for a special revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and similar revisions in other states as well,” PTI quoted him as saying.

“We look forward to the meeting with the commission, which will be in line with the highest tradition of our parliamentary democracy,” he said, according to PTI.