It looked as though the protests were winding down around noon on Tuesday (October 6, 2026), as buses packed with protesting parliamentarians trundled away from Akashvani Bhawan in the national capital after nearly two hours of sloganeering.
Around 2.30 p.m., a large group of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) activists descended on Akashvani Bhawan. So did Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan (78), Trinamool’s Saugata Roy (79) and others. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge (84) sat on a chair surrounded by colleagues seated on the road.
Many Congress parliamentarians, along with Priyanka Gandhi, got down from the buses they had been packed into. But the bus carrying Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, which also had Trinamool Congress’ Abhishek Banerjee, CPI(M)’s John Brittas and others, had already left the site. Mr. So, he turned back. Photo credit: AICC via ANI A few Congress parliamentarians managed to follow. Others, including senior leaders K.C. Gandhi. Catching the heavily deployed police personnel by surprise, the activists charged at the iron gates, with many managing to run into the campus. The police reacted swiftly, slamming the gates shut, this time with the activists inside. Buses soon arrived to detain them. Meanwhile, Mr. Gandhi and a small group of Congress leaders continued their sit-in under a banyan tree. Long past lunch hour, rolls were brought in by Mr. Gandhi’s office to satiate the hunger of protesters. The protests also saw several ageing MPs put aside physical limitations. CPI(ML)’s Sudama Prasad, who has knee problems, walked all the way to Akashvani Bhawan. He remained there for more than an hour under the harsh sun, leaving only after he felt unwell.
Gandhi first proposed that the remaining group march to India Gate and tried walking back towards Parliament, away from the barricades, only to be told that all roads were blocked.
Venugopal and Pawan Khera, were initially stopped at the gate and stood at the grills before the Delhi Police, after some discussion, allowed them to join Mr. Standing inside Akashvani Bhavan premises, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi speaks to the media during the INDIA bloc MPs’ march from Parliament to the ECI, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
