Posters of Gandhi as Batman crop up in Delhi
Posters depicting Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi as a “real-life Batman” have appeared near the Congress headquarters in Delhi. The images, which feature Gandhi alongside the fictional superhero, carry the tagline: “The silent guardian, a watchful protector. LoP Rahul Gandhi, the real life batman.”
The posters were put up by Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress chief Akshay Lakra, according to multiple reports. They were placed near the entrance of Congress headquarters Indira Bhawan on Kotla Road and near the Indian Youth Congress office on Raisina Road in central Delhi.
The imagery has drawn attention for its unconventional depiction of the Congress leader. One report described the posters as having “striking imagery,” noting that they appear to project Gandhi as a leader who works quietly while standing up for people. Another report suggested the “real-life Batman” reference gives the posters distinct political messaging, using the superhero’s association with silent protection to portray Gandhi as someone who remains a key figure in the Opposition's political battle despite not always being in the spotlight.
Origins in an 'Ask Me Anything' session
The posters come days after Gandhi participated in an “Ask Me Anything” session on Instagram, part of an outreach to students and Gen Z. The session, which one report says was launched on August 6, invited young users to ask him questions on topics ranging from student protests and education to politics and philosophy. Announcing the initiative on X, Gandhi wrote: “Students, Gen-Z — I'm here to listen. Ask me anything on Instagram, and I'll answer as many questions as I can.”
During the session, one participant asked Gandhi directly, “Are you Batman?” Gandhi's response was to play along with a longstanding social media meme comparing him to the fictional superhero. He replied: “Let's just say that no one has ever seen me and Batman in the same room together.”
The answer quickly became part of the social media conversation around the interaction. The Congress later released video clips from the session, and Gandhi himself posted a video of himself standing in the rain with the theme music from The Dark Knight playing in the background, further fueling the online chatter. The posters appear to bring that viral exchange into physical political messaging.
Parallel protest over police handling
The appearance of the posters comes amid continued controversy over the treatment of student protesters in Delhi, and some reports linked the Batman imagery to Gandhi’s own recent activism.
On Friday, Gandhi staged a five-hour sit-in outside the Parliament Street Police Station, demanding an FIR and justice for Sahil Lochab, a 19-year-old student who suffered pellet injuries during a police crackdown at a July 20 student protest at Jantar Mantar, as reported by several news organisations. Gandhi arrived at the police station at around 11:30 am, accompanied by Lochab, his mother, and their lawyer. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other party leaders later joined the protest.
The action followed Gandhi’s participation in earlier Jantar Mantar protests led by the 'Cockroach Janata Party' (CJP). According to The Economic Times, relieved that gandhi declared, “No FIR, no justice. So we sit,” during the sit-in, and his intervention eventually forced Delhi Police to register an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Gandhi also met the Deputy Commissioner of Police and other senior officers at the DCP office in Connaught Place, after which Delhi Police subsequently registered a case in connection with the July 20 incident.
Separately, Moneycontrol and The Times of India reported that on Thursday, the Supreme Court constituted a five-member High-Powered Expert Committee (HPEC), headed by retired Supreme Court Justice R Subhash Reddy, to investigate alleged any police excesses and protester violence during the CJP-led demonstrations. The committee includes former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla, and former Meghalaya DGP LR Bishoi.