Assam Cong Chief Gaurav Gogoi, senior leaders detained during protest demanding CEC's removal

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and several senior party leaders were detained on Friday while trying to break through police barricades during a protest demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, police said.

The Congress, led by Gogoi, had taken out a march from its state headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan, and planned to proceed towards the Chief Electoral Officer’s office to burn an effigy of the CEC.

Police had put up barricades near Rajiv Bhawan, which the protesting leaders, including Gogoi, attempted to cross, following which they were detained.

Gogoi says protest was 'democratic step'

In a video released by the Congress, Gogoi said the party had taken a "democratic step" to stage the protest and planned to go to the CEO’s office to "express our concern against the attack on Indian democracy", but police stopped and detained us.

"If they (the BJP) think that by detaining us they can silence us, then they are mistaken. It appears that the BJP is now scared," he said.

"The Congress will continue to fight to save Indian democracy. We will remove the BJP and save the nation," Gogoi said.

Detained leaders raise slogans

The detained Congress leaders, who were taken by bus to the 4th Assam Police Battalion, were heard shouting slogans against the BJP and the CEC, including 'BJP go back' and 'arrest Gyanesh Kumar'.

Congress spokesperson Bedabrata Bora alleged that the leaders were "forcefully arrested" and claimed that "this is yet another threat to democracy".

"The brutality displayed by the police during the demonstration to burn an effigy of Kumar is not only deplorable but also concrete proof of the current government's miserable failure on all fronts,'' he said.

Besides Gogoi, those detained included AICC secretary Manoj Chauhan, Seva Dal president Deep Bayan and APCC general secretary Udit Bhanu Das, along with several others.

Congress cites report on EC objections

An Indian Express report on Wednesday claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected at least 14 times over 10 months to SIR-related decisions, including voter deletions and electoral roll data.

The EC has, however, said decisions relating to SIR were taken unanimously with the approval of all three commissioners.

The Congress emphasised that the revelations completely vindicate the concerns repeatedly voiced by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and the party, alleging that the electoral machinery was being "captured and manipulated" to provide an "unfair advantage" to the ruling BJP.