INDIA block marches Delhi protesting against SIR to Supreme Court

On the day Delhi Police designated Jantar Mantar as a designated site for protests, a sizeable crowd took to the capital’s main roads to watch a bus procession of INDIA Bloc leaders from the Constitution Club to the Supreme Court, where Rahul Gandhi and other top coalition leaders filed a petition over alleged widespread voter suppression and Special Elections (SIR) irregularities.

Supporters seen during a march from Barakhamba to the Delhi High Court on October 12, 2026 | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

The Congress said on its social media that 2.5 million people participated in the protest. The “March for Democracy,” which began at 1:30 p.m. at the Constitutional Club, lasted more than four hours, mostly unhindered by police roadblocks and interventions, and also allowed protesters the occasional break from flag-waving and sloganeering at ice cream and juice carts. The march had several such light moments, including when Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge donned a Batman mask. There was a heavy deployment of police who stood on the sidelines and watched.

Despite the INDIA bloc leaders’ suggestion that only the national flag should be hoisted, Congress flags dominated the scene. Flags of Left student bodies, SFI CPI(M), AISF CPI and AISA CPI(ML) were also on display.

Most of the protesters were Congress supporters who had traveled from different parts of the country, from Salma Begum, who had come from Koraput, Odisha on her first trip to Delhi, to Mayank Chaudhary, a former Youth Congress leader leading an SUV cavalcade from Badkal, Haryana, which slipped through police barricades en route, or the bright yellow scarf of Sabo Meusen, who came from the town of Sabo Meusen.

Congress workers seen during a march from Barakhamba to the Delhi High Court on October 12, 2026 | Photo credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

The lead bus in the procession had a hand-picked mix of INDIA bloc leaders to present a united front, with Congress’s KC Venugopal standing on the landing and waving to the crowd, and the front row occupied by Mr Kharg and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. Samajwadi Party’s Dharmendra Yadav, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Shiv Sena’s (UBT) Sanjay Raut, Trinamool’s Saugata Ray, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and CPImar leader P. Sandosh Kumar Kumar were also in the bus. AISA president Neha Bora and former president Sai Balaji were also there. SFI head Aishe Ghosh was in the bus.

Demonstrators walking alongside the buses waved at the leader. Every time Mr. Gandhi stood up there was a loud cheer. Several ran with cameras raised at the sight of Ms Bora, a familiar face in the student movement.

Neha Bora and Yogendra Yadav seen during a march from Barakhamba to the High Court in New Delhi on October 12, 2026 | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

Mr. Kharge asked all parties to inform their MPs to reach the Constitutional Club at 1 p.m. Despite coordination difficulties, a broad gathering of leaders came together. Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was among the leaders who gathered there. She did not join the procession, she had to return to Calcutta. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who arrived in Delhi only after 2 pm, joined the protest around 4 pm for the last leg of the march.

After passing through central Delhi and doubling back through Mandi House, the procession was finally stopped by the police near the Supreme Court. Several leaders, including Mr Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Tejashwi Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav, climbed atop the vehicle in the final leg of the march, which rang out slogans against the government and the Chief Election Commissioner.

Several senior Congress leaders, including Sachin Pilot, were seen marching along with the protesters.

Ms Salma, 36, who left her two children in Koraput to fly to Delhi, said: “I have come to meet Rahul Gandhi.” She had been waiting since morning to catch a glimpse of her leader.

A few steps further, Ms. Meena said that she had come to Delhi to save the country. “Desh khatre mein hai, isko Modi ji se mukt karna hai (the country is in danger, it needs to be freed from Modi),” she said.

Davinder Singh hailed from Jalandhar, Punjab, dressed as the mythical god of death, Yamraj, and explained his choice of profession by saying: “I am here to remind the government that steals our votes that it too must face its makers.

Amid this rhetoric, Narayan Saha briskly sold papads, at ₹20 each. His basket quickly emptied. He wasn’t as worried about SIR as the crowd around him seemed to be. Instead, he was worried that his brother’s name had been cut from the ration card at home in Sitamarhi, Bihar.

“In my village, many people are no longer receiving pensions, which is worrying given inflation,” he said.

Published – 12 Oct 2026 22:43 IST