The Delhi Police have registered 25 FIRs linked to protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls since October 2, naming Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among those booked, according to police sources cited by PTI.
The cases have been registered in connection with demonstrations in the national capital, including incidents involving alleged vandalism of public property, assaults and scuffles involving police personnel, obstruction of government work and violations of prohibitory orders in the New Delhi district.
The prohibitory orders were imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the law cited by the police in relation to restrictions on public gatherings and activity. The FIRs cover incidents reported during a series of protests held by Opposition MPs after October 2.
A police source said action was taken following repeated incidents of alleged lawlessness during the demonstrations. The source did not provide, in the material available, a case-by-case breakdown of the 25 FIRs or specify the individual allegations against each person named in the cases.
The protests followed a report by The Indian Express stating that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected to multiple decisions and orders related to the SIR of electoral rolls. Opposition MPs have since held a series of demonstrations in the national capital over the issue.
The police action places the protests within the operational framework governing public assemblies in the New Delhi district, where demonstrations can affect government offices, public property, police deployment and access to administrative areas. The allegations cited in the FIRs relate both to conduct during the protests and to compliance with orders restricting activity in specified locations.
The cases also highlight the administrative consequences of demonstrations around electoral processes. While the reported FIRs concern alleged offences and violations during protests, the underlying political dispute relates to the conduct and decisions connected with the revision of electoral rolls. The available report does not establish the outcome of any of the cases or indicate whether arrests have been made.
The police have not, in the supplied material, released details of the total number of protesters questioned, the value of any alleged damage to public property, or the specific sections applied in each FIR beyond the reference to prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS. The allegations remain subject to investigation and due legal process.
The Delhi Police’s registration of the cases follows the continuation of protests in the capital. Further developments will depend on the investigation into the individual incidents and the legal proceedings arising from the FIRs.
