Gaurav Gogoi, other Congress leaders detained amid protest seeking CEC Gyanesh Kumar's removal

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and several other senior party leaders were detained in Guwahati on Friday after they tried to cross police barricades during a protest calling for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)c Gyanesh Kumar, police said.

The protest follows a report by The Indian Express, which said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over decisions and orders linked to the SIR. These included changes to Form 6 and the handling of electoral roll data.

The report said the objections concerned decisions allegedly taken without their knowledge or contrary to their recommendations.

Gaurav Gogoi detained

The Congress has held protests in several states against the Election Commission, with party leaders seeking Kumar’s resignation and legal action over alleged irregularities in the handling of electoral rolls.

In Guwahati, Congress MP Gogoi was detained along with several other party leaders after they reportedly tried to cross police barricades near Rajiv Bhawan, PTI reported.

The protest began at the party’s state headquarters and was scheduled to move towards the Chief Electoral Officer's office, where the protesters planned to burn an effigy of the CEC.

Speaking to ANI during the protest, Gogoi sought Kumar’s resignation and demanded legal action against the Chief Election Commissioner over what he alleged were irregularities in the Election Commission’s functioning.

“Today, as people have come to know that Gyanesh Kumar Ji has committed a crime and committed an act of treason, he should resign today and legal action should be taken against him,” he said.

Gogoi said the issue involved citizens’ fundamental right to vote and alleged that the Election Commission had failed to safeguard the electoral rolls.

“Today, India is a democracy because there are fair elections, and the people's right to vote is secure. Today, they have attacked democracy. In the coming days, the people of India will not let them go,” he said.

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

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

What is the controversy?

The Opposition has sought the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged differences among senior poll officials on important electoral decisions.

The demand follows the Indian Express report about objections reportedly raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over decisions concerning electoral rolls.

The Election Commission has rejected the claim that the reported objections showed institutional dissent. It said internal observations are part of the normal functioning of a multi-member constitutional body and maintained that the final decisions on the SIR were unanimous.