Abhijeet Dipke announces 'Jail Bharo Andolan' in Mumbai on October 2

The CJP had planned the protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and had called for his resignation.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Monday announced a “Jail Bharo Andolan” in Mumbai on October 2, after the Mumbai Police denied permission for the outfit’s proposed protest at Shivaji Park on Gandhi Jayanti.

“Jail Bharo Andolan in Mumbai. October 2, Shivaji Park. #SaveDemocracy,” Dipke said in a post on X.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeetdipke)

The CJP had planned the protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and had called for his resignation. The party has also demanded a freeze on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and changes to the legal framework governing the Election Commission.

Mumbai Police said it was not empowered to grant permission for a gathering at Shivaji Park, citing a Bombay High Court judgment and subsequent Maharashtra government orders. It also referred to concerns over noise pollution, traffic congestion and disruption to movement around the area, and advised the organisers to seek an alternative venue.

Dipke had earlier criticised the denial, saying such tactics to suppress citizens' voices were unacceptable. He subsequently announced the Jail Bharo protest for October 2.

The proposed agitation comes amid scrutiny of the Election Commission over allegations of internal differences concerning electoral-roll decisions and the SIR exercise. The Election Commission has rejected claims of a breakdown in its functioning, saying differences of views are part of institutional deliberations and that key decisions were taken unanimously.

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