Two Congress leaders arrested for ‘Gaddar’ graffiti at Gyanesh Kumar's Agra home

Congress workers used black spray paint to write “Gyanesh Gaddar” and “Vote Chor” on the main gate and walls of commissioner's residence in Agra. 

Prefer HTon Google

Agra Police on Tuesday arrested two Congress leaders for allegedly defacing the wall and the main gate of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's home in Agra with the words "Gyanesh Gaddar, Gyanesh Chor" (Gyanesh traitor, Gyanesh thief).

Anil Yadav, Provincial General Secretary (Organisation) Azamgarh, along with Mukesh Dhanger, District President Congress Mathura, who fled the spot after the act, were pursued by the police team and arrested along with their vehicle.

“With the assistance of CCTV cameras, the police immediately initiated efforts to search for and arrest the accused, during which Anil Yadav and Mukesh Dhanger, who were attempting to flee toward Delhi, were pursued by the police team and arrested along with their vehicle,” Agra Police said in a post on X.

Efforts are underway to arrest their other associates with the help of CCTV cameras, police said.

Also Read: ‘Life has humbled Gyanu’: CJP’s Saurav Das jibes at CEC Gyanesh Kumar as team plans Mumbai stir

Suo motu cognizance

Agra Police said they have taken a suo motu cognizance and registered a case under the prescribed sections of the BNS at Hari Parvat police station, adding that Yadav, Dhanger, along with their associates entered without any prior notice into a residential colony located in Vijay Nagar, Agra city, and made a nefarious attempt to create chaos at the ancestral residence of the Chief Election Commissioner, where his elderly parents reside.

The arrested individuals are being interrogated in connection with the case. During initial questioning, they told police that they were heading to the party office in Delhi after leaving Agra.

Yadav was the Congress candidate from Nizamabad in Azamgarh in the previous Assembly elections, while Dhanger contested the previous Lok Sabha elections from Mathura as a Congress candidate, police said.

Also Read: Can the Opposition impeach CEC Gyanesh Kumar? Inside the constitutional process

‘Right to protest, but…’

Agra Police appealed to representatives of all social and political parties, saying that in a democracy, everyone has the right to protest and that designated sites for protests and sit-ins have been identified for this purpose.

However, the police warned that if any common citizen is harassed in a residential area in the name of protest, it will immediately register a case under the relevant sections of the BNS and take legal action. It appealed to political and social groups to conduct protests only at designated sites.

What had happened

Some Congress workers arrived at Kumar’s residence in Agra’s Vijay Nagar on Monday morning, raised slogans, and put up stickers and pamphlets outside the house as part of their protest against the Chief Election Commissioner.

They then used black spray paint to write “Gyanesh Gaddar” and “Vote Chor” on the main gate and walls of the residence. Videos and pictures of the incident have since been widely circulated on social media.

Sharing clips of the protest, the Indian Youth Congress, the youth wing of the party, wrote on X: “In Agra, Congress workers smeared black ink on the house of ‘Gyanesh Gaddar’.”

“The way Modi and Shah, in collusion with Gyanesh, have looted various elections across the country over the past several years is nothing short of outright treason against the nation,” IYC added.

Kumar is under fire following a news report that claimed two Election Commissioners raised objections to decisions taken by the CEC in the panel's name.

• 

  Karishma Ayaldasani is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi, where she works with the digital team on fast-moving breaking stories from India and around the world. She enjoys covering national and global news, focusing on delivering updates quickly and clearly so readers can make sense of what’s happening as it unfolds. Comfortable in high-pressure newsroom settings, she regularly contributes to live blogs, explainers and real-time coverage. Before joining Hindustan Times, she was part of the digital team at The Indian Express, worked with the social media team at Firstpost, and spent time as a creative strategist at Clematis Advertising. Outside of work, she likes exploring different art forms and unwinds with music. With over three years of experience in fast-paced newsrooms, she brings curiosity, clarity and consistency to her work.Read More

• Agra
• Protest
• Congress

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines, and real-time updates from across the nation. Stay informed on politics, government policies, crime, weather, and major national developments.