Delhi Police have registered 25 FIRs linked to protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls since October 2, naming Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among others, according to police sources cited by PTI.
The cases were registered in connection with demonstrations held in the national capital and involve allegations of vandalism of public property, assaults and scuffles involving police personnel, obstruction of government work and violation of prohibitory orders in the New Delhi district.
The prohibitory orders were imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the police sources said. The provision was cited in the FIRs relating to the protests. Police said action was taken after repeated incidents of alleged lawlessness during the demonstrations.
The reported cases place the protests within the administrative framework governing the use of public spaces in the capital. Allegations of damage to public property, obstruction of government work and confrontations with police are being treated as separate offences or grounds for action in the FIRs, according to the details available in the report.
The protests have been held by Opposition MPs following a report by The Indian Express that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected to multiple decisions and orders connected with the SIR of electoral rolls. The revision exercise has therefore become the subject of repeated political demonstrations in New Delhi.
The inclusion of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among those named in the cases makes the police action significant beyond the immediate protest locations. The FIRs also show how public-order provisions are being applied to demonstrations involving national political figures and parliamentary Opposition members.
The police account describes the cases as a response to alleged incidents during the protests. The available report does not provide details of the individual FIR numbers, the specific locations of every alleged incident, the sections applied in each case or the police’s account of the evidence against each person named.
The cases relate to demonstrations that began on or after October 2, while the report was published on October 9. The Delhi Police’s next steps, including investigation of the individual allegations and any further action under the FIRs, will determine how the cases proceed.
