An open gate, a banyan tree, 6 hours of dharna: How Akashvani Bhavan became Cong's battleground against EC

The historic Akashvani Bhavan campus, home to All India Radio, became the new site for political protests as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi held a dharna for over six hours as a part of the Opposition’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday.

According to some leaders, the original plan was to march from the Parliament house to Nirvachan Sadan, the Election Commission headquarters but as the police stopped the march next to the Akashvani Bhavan, Gandhi, along with other key Congress leaders, switched over to the plan to prolong their demonstrations. Later, they were detained by a large number of Delhi police personnel from the campus.

When the police started detaining the Opposition leaders, Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slipped through an iron gate—the only one kept open for the Akashvani staff, and sat under a large banyan tree. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, party MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and party leaders Manish Chatrath, BV Srinivas and others also joined the protest.

For the next six hours, till the Delhi police personnel forcibly detained Gandhi and other leaders, the northern Akashvani campus became a stage for the Opposition protests, shifting from the Sansad Marg.

Senior Congress leaders said that while the Sansad Marg has seen many protests and marches, Gandhi’s decision to shift to Akashvani Bhavan campus, inadvertently turned it into a temporary political platform.

To be sure, it is unlikely that the campus can be again used for such political protests. A senior official said that Gandhi “took advantage of the gate that was left open.”

“In future, we have to ensure no such misuse of the Akashvani Bhavan,” he added.

Built in the 1940s, the semi-circular main building enjoys a heritage status. The building houses the news service, drama and FM sections.