'Daro Mat': Rahul Gandhi calls on opposition, youth and civil society to march to SC tomorrow

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday called upon young people, opposition parties and civil society organisations to join a march to the Supreme Court on Monday, October 12, demanding an end to alleged electoral irregularities, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Invoking his political message of "Daro mat" (Do not be afraid), Gandhi said the demonstration would bring together citizens across political, social and regional divisions in defence of democratic rights and constitutional values. The announcement came amid continuing protests in Delhi against the Election Commission, with thousands of demonstrators detained over the weekend as police imposed extensive security restrictions across the national capital.

In a post on X, Gandhi said the march would include people irrespective of their political affiliations, gender, caste, community or state. He appealed to all those who believed in democracy and the Constitution to participate, maintaining that the Opposition would not be deterred by police action against protesters.

Memorandum to Chief Justice

Gandhi announced that opposition leaders would submit a memorandum to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant seeking intervention over alleged electoral malpractices and the ongoing revision of electoral rolls.

The memorandum would demand an end to what the Congress has described as "vote chori", a halt to the SIR exercise and the resignation of Kumar. The allegations of electoral irregularities have been central to the Opposition's confrontation with the Election Commission, particularly over concerns about the possible exclusion of eligible voters during the revision process.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge earlier said he and Gandhi had sought a meeting with the Chief Justice and planned to meet him between 4 pm and 5 pm on Monday to place their concerns before him.

Kharge said the Opposition intended to explain the situation and request judicial intervention rather than issue demands to the court. The proposed march is part of a broader political campaign by INDIA bloc parties questioning the functioning of the Election Commission and the conduct of the electoral roll revision exercise.

Alleges attacks on protesters

Gandhi strongly criticised the police action against demonstrators who had gathered in Delhi on Saturday, alleging that young protesters were assaulted by police personnel and BJP workers despite participating peacefully.

He said the demonstrators had taken to the streets without hatred or anger and accused the authorities of responding with force. "This is not the India we want," he said.

The Congress leader maintained that the Opposition would continue its protests despite detentions and restrictions on public assembly. He urged participants to demonstrate peacefully and remain committed to constitutional principles.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Gandhi asserted that they could not silence the voices of people demanding accountability.

He said intimidation would not prevent citizens from exercising their democratic rights and called for the demonstration to be conducted in a spirit of solidarity, brotherhood and patriotism.

Protests enter second day

Gandhi's announcement followed two days of demonstrations organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), whose supporters have been demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.

The protests began on Saturday amid a heavy security deployment across Delhi, with police preventing demonstrators from assembling at Jantar Mantar. Thousands of protesters were detained at different locations as security personnel blocked access to the designated protest area.

CJP activists Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were among those detained during the first day of demonstrations. According to CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh, the three were subsequently released after being produced before an executive magistrate at Delhi Cantonment police station.

Singh said their release was subject to a condition requiring them not to breach the peace for one year. Dipke, however, claimed that he had not signed any bond and maintained that the possibility of further arrests would not deter him from continuing the agitation.

The demonstrations continued on Sunday, with student organisations and CJP supporters attempting to march towards Jantar Mantar from several locations, including Connaught Place and RK Ashram Marg. Police detained protesters as security arrangements remained in force across central Delhi.