Rahul Gandhi was detained during a protest demanding the resignation of the chief of India’s election commission, Al Jazeera reported. The opposition leader was among a group of demonstrators who gathered outside the commission’s headquarters in New Delhi on a day of heightened political activity.

Gandhi, a prominent figure in the Indian National Congress, has long used public demonstrations to challenge the electoral authority’s decisions. The protest focused on the chief’s perceived interference in the conduct of national elections, a claim that the opposition says undermines the commission’s independence. The demonstrators called for the chief’s resignation, arguing that his leadership could bias election outcomes.

This is not the first time Gandhi has been arrested during similar protests. Over the past months, he has faced multiple detentions while staging rallies that question the commission’s neutrality. The pattern of arrests has drawn criticism from civil‑rights groups who view the actions as a tactic to silence dissenting voices ahead of upcoming elections.

The incidents underscore a broader tension between India’s opposition parties and the electoral body. As the next general election approaches, the dispute could influence public perception of the commission’s impartiality and shape the political narrative. The outcome of the current detention and any subsequent legal proceedings will likely set a precedent for how protest actions against election officials are handled in the future.