Agra CEC Home Protest: 6 Congress Workers Arrested, Sent To Judicial Custody

Six Congress workers were arrested and sent to judicial custody after protesters allegedly defaced the ancestral home of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in Agra during a demonstration over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, a Times Of India report said.

The protest took place on Monday as part of the Congress' nationwide agitation against alleged voter-list manipulation. Protesters allegedly spray-painted abusive messages targeting Kumar on the walls and main gate of the residence and demanded his removal from office. Police later removed the graffiti.

According to the report, an FIR was registered at the Hariparwat police station on a complaint by Sub-Inspector Gaurav Gupta. The FIR names eight people and also mentions 15-20 unidentified persons.

FIR Names Congress Workers, Police Say

The case includes BNS sections relating to voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, using criminal force against a public servant, house trespass, criminal intimidation and rioting. Police said Congress functionaries Anil Yadav and Mukesh Dhangar, along with their associates, allegedly entered the residential colony without prior permission and created a disturbance outside the CEC's ancestral residence, where his parents live.

The report said six accused, including Yadav and Dhangar, were arrested. The two Congress leaders were reportedly apprehended while allegedly attempting to leave Agra for Delhi. The police are also examining CCTV footage to identify other participants.

Congress Protest Part Of Nationwide Agitation

The Agra demonstration was part of Congress' wider protests targeting the Election Commission over its handling of electoral-roll revisions. The party has alleged irregularities in the electoral-roll process, while the Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and maintained that its decisions were taken through the Commission's established processes.

A Congress protest was also held in other parts of Uttar Pradesh, with the party demanding action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. In Agra, the protesters specifically targeted his ancestral residence.

The six arrested workers were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody until October 3, according to the report.