Congress leaders including Gaurav Gogoi detained at protest over CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Police detained Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and several other party leaders on Tuesday while they were staging a protest demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstration was among a series of actions by the opposition party against the country's top election official.

The detentions came as pressure mounted on multiple fronts against the CEC. A separate petition filed in the Supreme Court argued that Gyanesh Kumar could be investigated and prosecuted as an ordinary accused citizen if evidence emerged of wrongdoing in his official capacity.

The petition contended that acts such as intentionally manipulating records, committing forgery, or subverting the constitutional electoral process could not be considered an integral part of official duties and would therefore not attract any special protection. The court is yet to indicate how it will proceed with the matter. Congress has not specified which particular actions by the CEC prompted its public demonstrations.