Guwahati, Sep 25 (IANS) Assam Congress President, Gaurav Gogoi, and several senior party leaders were detained by police on Friday after they attempted to cross barricades during a demonstration in Guwahati demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The protest was organised by the state Congress unit as part of its campaign against CEC Gyanesh Kumar after a recent investigative media report was published on the inner workings and dissent within the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), voter data and new voter registration.
The demonstrators assembled at the party’s state headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan, before setting out in a procession towards the office of the Chief Electoral Officer.
The protesters were also planning to burn an effigy of the Chief Election Commissioner as part of the demonstration.
Police had deployed barricades near the Congress headquarters to prevent the procession from moving further.
Tension briefly escalated when Gogoi and other senior leaders tried to move past the police cordon.
Following the attempt to breach the barricades, police detained Gogoi along with other protesting leaders.
The Congress has been raising questions over the functioning of the Election Commission and has sought the removal of Kumar from the post of CEC.
Friday’s demonstration in Assam is part of the party’s wider political campaign against the poll panel.
Congress leaders have stressed that the electoral process requires greater transparency and accountability, while the Election Commission has maintained that its actions are governed by established legal and constitutional procedures.
The detention of the senior Congress leaders came as the party stepped up its protests in the state, with workers and leaders participating in the march from Rajiv Bhawan.
There was no immediate official statement from the Election Commission on the specific allegations raised by the protesters.
The Congress is expected to continue raising the issue through political programmes and public demonstrations, with the party seeking greater scrutiny of the functioning of the poll machinery.
The incident also comes amid heightened political activity in Assam, where parties are intensifying their organisational and electoral campaigns ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha bypoll in the state.
–IANS
tdr/rad