Scratched me all over: Priyanka Gandhi claims cops shoved her to ground at Janpath protest

Opposition MPs heading to Jantar Mantar were stopped by police near Ashoka Road, leading to detentions and a road sit-in. The clash sharpened the INDIA bloc's demand for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and its charge that democratic protest was being blocked.Priyanka Gandhi during the protest.New Delhi,Oct 7, 2026 18:41 ISTHigh drama played out in central Delhi on Wednesday as opposition MPs of the INDIA bloc, heading to Jantar Mantar for a sit-in protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, were stopped by a heavy security cordon and several leaders were detained. Rahul Gandhi was detained and taken away from the protest site, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was forcibly removed after she and other women MPs lay down on the road leading to Jantar Mantar.Priyanka Gandhi also alleged that women police personnel who came to detain her shoved her to the ground and scratched her during the protest."This is how they treat Members of Parliament who are asking simply to meet the Election Commissioner. This is how they treat us. They are beating MPs. The Policemen have scratched me all over. They have thrown us to the ground. Now, we are not going to move from here. Let them crawl their forces back. I will not move from here," Priyanka Gandhi said.The confrontation unfolded after buses carrying opposition MPs from Janpath towards Jantar Mantar were stopped on Ashoka Road, triggering a road blockade, sloganeering and sit-in protests at Windsor Circle. The protest had been called by INDIA bloc MPs to raise the issue of 'vote chori' and demand the ouster of Gyanesh Kumar, a day after their nine-hour face-off with cops, seeking a meeting with the Election Commissioners.The surprise decision to protest at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday came after a solidarity lunch hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. After the lunch at a restaurant on Janpath, the MPs boarded buses and set out for Jantar Mantar. Some leaders climbed onto the roofs of the buses, carrying the Tricolour, as the procession moved through the high-security area.Congress MPs Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Deepender Singh Hooda, Imran Pratapgarhi and Imran Masood, along with Seva Dal chief BV Srinivas, were seen on the roofs of the buses, waving the national flag.The buses, however, were stopped after travelling about a kilometre by a multi-layered security cordon on Ashoka Road, around another kilometre from Jantar Mantar.As security personnel blocked the buses, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra got off and joined the protest on the road. Priyanka Gandhi and other women leaders then lay down on the road at Windsor Circle and the roundabout, with Priyanka holding a copy of the Constitution in her hand. Priyanka Gandhi lying on the floor during the protest. Rahul Gandhi was also forcibly removed from the protest site and taken away in a bus by police personnel. TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien was also detained during the protest.Before the confrontation, Rahul Gandhi told reporters, "Today, we will protest at Jantar Mantar, which is a designated protest site and tell the country that, for us, Gyanesh Kumar is not a legitimate Election Commissioner."MPs from the Congress, TMC, CPI(M), CPI, RJD, IUML and several other parties were among those protesting, while Samajwadi Party MPs were not present.- Ends