Elevated police deployment across central Delhi preceded a planned march by the INDIA bloc toward the Supreme Court, where the coalition intended to present grievances over alleged voting irregularities and call for the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner, while also urging supporters nationwide to take part in the demonstration. Barricades were placed at several points around the city, accompanied by the closure of select metro station entrances and exits throughout the morning and early afternoon of 12 October 2026, with those restrictions running from 6:00 AM through 4:00 PM as part of a broader security measure.
Officers took up positions along Barakhamba Road, in the vicinity of Mandi House. Forces from the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were stationed at the site alongside Delhi Police units. Six metro stations — Patel Chowk, Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Central Secretariat, and Barakhamba Road — had their entry and exit points shut until 4 PM, with the closure attributed to security requirements.
On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi — holding the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha — issued a call to fellow opposition parties to join a planned rally, describing 12 October as the date when people from across the country would converge on the Supreme Court in a collective, non-violent procession. Gandhi also called on students, civil society organisations, and opposition parties to stand together in protection of democratic institutions.
Gandhi announced plans for the INDIA bloc to resume street protests on 12 October, citing what the opposition characterised as acts of aggression by Delhi Police and Bharatiya Janata Party workers against students and women at a rally demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. In a public statement, Gandhi noted that young people had assembled in the capital to demonstrate without incident, and said people had made their way there out of goodwill, with neither grievance nor hostility behind the decision. He alleged that blows had come from both police officers and BJP-affiliated individuals.
Gandhi stated that the country being built falls short of the vision many of its people hold for it. Protesters announced plans to bring their case before the Supreme Court as a cross-section of the population, drawing together people regardless of political affiliation, gender, caste, religion, or home state.
Gandhi stated that a petition directed to the Chief Justice would be filed, and urged young people, opposition parties, and civil society groups — as well as those who back constitutional governance — to take part in an effort that additionally calls for the suspension of the Special Intensive Revision process, the removal of Gyanesh Kumar from his position, and an end to what he described as electoral fraud. Gandhi stated that protests across India had continued despite the authority of figures such as Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Ajit Doval, and Mohan Bhagwat, and that public dissent remained beyond the reach of any administration.
Gandhi declared that those behind the threats lacked the power to silence the movement and would ultimately be forced to yield ground. He called on participants to advance together, united by shared values of affection, fellowship, and dedication to their country, adding that no one should be kept in fear. Gandhi further asserted that the whole of India's population would make its way to the Supreme Court in demonstration.
Gandhi charged that Delhi Police, operating under Union Home Minister Amit Shah's authority, had itself engaged in misconduct while also permitting and encouraging RSS-BJP affiliated workers to carry out acts of violence targeting women and young people. Directing his remarks at Amit Shah, Gandhi stated that the home minister was free to deploy whatever number of police personnel he considered necessary — whether ten thousand, twenty thousand, or forty thousand — and that BJP-RSS members could be mobilised in whatever numbers the minister saw fit. Gandhi stated that no form of pressure would alter the group's course, and that those involved remained committed with no intention of yielding ground.
KC Venugopal, the Congress General Secretary (Organisation), told a news channel that the planned 12 October march in the national capital had grown beyond a single protest into a broader push to protect democratic values, and called on people to take part. Organisers described the effort as one aimed at upholding the foundational principles and governing values underpinning the nation. Gandhi put forward a call for citizens nationwide to rally in protection of democratic institutions, and expressed confidence that the public would turn out in numbers the following day.
Venugopal added that the opposition held the Chief Justice of India's position in regard, noting that the top court's head had chosen not to receive its delegation, yet the group's resolve to proceed toward the Supreme Court remained intact, with the delegation indicating that a petition would be submitted either by hand delivery or through the standard legal channel. He added that while that decision was being respected, there remained a firm intention to proceed with the march to the Supreme Court the following day.
Shashi Tharoor, a Congress MP, alleged that the Election Commission of India had disregarded established legal provisions, and announced that opposition figures intended to gather in a march calling for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a halt to the Special Intensive Revision exercise, invoking constitutional guarantees around voting, political choice, and individual self-determination as the basis for that position. Approximately 130 million voters have reportedly been removed from electoral rolls by the Election Commission, a development that opposition figures and civil society groups contend undermines the constitutional right to cast a ballot.
Tharoor, in a video shared on X, outlined the party's plan to bring a case before the Supreme Court seeking, among other remedies, a halt to the Special Intensive Revision process, annulment of the rules underpinning the disputed electoral changes, restoration of voting entitlements for those said to have been disenfranchised, and the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner from office. Separately, the Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, indicated to INDIA bloc leaders that their concerns about alleged electoral irregularities would need to be raised through a formal petition, given that the matter was already before the courts.
