Delhi Police Files FIRs Over INDIA Bloc March
Two cases have been registered over alleged barricade damage and graffiti during the Opposition's march to the Supreme Court against electoral roll revisions.
Delhi Police has registered two first information reports (FIRs) in connection with the INDIA bloc's march towards the Supreme Court in New Delhi on October 12. The cases relate to alleged violations during the protest, including damage to police barricades and graffiti on roads.
According to police officials, one FIR was registered at Barakhamba Road police station and the other at Tilak Marg police station. Police said the march had not been granted official permission and alleged that some participants broke through barricades with the help of a mini-truck.
The demonstration, described by the Opposition as a 'March for Democracy', was organised to protest against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and to demand accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Several prominent INDIA bloc leaders participated in the march, including Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. The march moved through central Delhi towards the Supreme Court before police barricades stopped the participants.
The protest followed Opposition concerns about alleged voter deletions and irregularities in the SIR exercise. Opposition parties have questioned the Election Commission's procedures and sought scrutiny of decisions relating to the revision of electoral rolls.
Separately, 11 Opposition leaders filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging aspects of the Election Commission's decisions concerning the SIR process. The Supreme Court registry subsequently flagged 14 defects in the petition, including a request for clarification about the naming of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners as respondents.
The FIRs mark a further legal development following the march. The specific charges invoked in the two cases were not immediately available in the reports. Allegations of barricade damage and graffiti remain allegations and should not be treated as established findings of guilt.