Police Crackdown on Constitutional Rights
New Delhi police forcibly detained over 300 opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Akhilesh Yadav during a peaceful march to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on August 11. The protesters sought answers about alleged voter fraud in Bihar and Karnataka but were met with barricades, water cannons, and mass detentions. Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav jumped barricades while TMC MPs Mahua Moitra and Mitali Bag fainted amid clashes. Gandhi condemned the crackdown: "This fight is to save the Constitution. We demand one person, one vote".
Rahul Gandhi’s investigation into Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency revealed 100,000+ fraudulent votes through duplicate entries, fake addresses, and bulk registrations at single locations. Official ECI data showed 8-10% suspicious voters in the 2023 state elections, with Mahadevapura’s anomalously high BJP turnout swinging Bangalore Central’s Lok Sabha seat. Despite Gandhi presenting ECI’s own documents as proof, the Commission demanded he "submit evidence under oath" rather than address the discrepancies, a move critics call intimidation.
The ECI’s aggressive revision of Bihar’s voter lists, disproportionately targeting marginalized communities ahead of state elections mirrors tactics used in Karnataka. Opposition leaders accuse the Commission of acting as a BJP puppet. ECI permitted only 30 MPs to enter its headquarters during the protest, enabling police to detain others "for lacking permission". When Gandhi exposed fraud in Parliament, the government blocked discussion and dismissed evidence as "creating anarchy". Congress leader Jairam Ramesh summarized: "Democracy is being murdered in front of Parliament".
While BJP ministers vilified protesters for "bankruptcy of ideas," Congress’s own Karnataka unit revealed the voter fraud occurred under their state government’s watch. Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna admitted: "It is insulting this happened under our nose". This highlights systemic rot: whether Congress or BJP rules, electoral bodies enable fraud against the poor.
India’s democratic credentials now face unprecedented scrutiny. Arbitrary detentions of elected representatives breach international covenants and electoral malpractice has dropped India to "hybrid regime" status (EIU 2025). As Telangana CM Revanth Reddy warned, "Detaining opposition leaders reveals authoritarian desperation".