On Friday, large-scale protests unfolded in Mumbai and Delhi, where demonstrators called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, raising concerns regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spearheaded the protests, while in the capital city, police detained several hundred individuals as Left student organizations and civil society activists attempted to reach Jantar Mantar.
The Mumbai protests featured CJP national convener Abhijeet Dipke alongside notable figures from the Hindi film industry, including actors Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, singer Vishal Dadlani, and director Vishal Bharadwaj. Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was also present at the event.
Criticizing the BJP-led Central government for its perceived incompetence, Dipke expressed that his organization felt compelled to organize another protest just two months after a previous demonstration at Jantar Mantar concerning the NEET exam paper leak, which concluded with the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. “Our protests will extend beyond three days; they will last for three months,” Dipke declared.
Dipke condemned the SIR process, invoking the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, and Jawaharlal Nehru to highlight the significance of constitutional rights and voting. “If Gandhi represents the soul of India, Ambedkar is its backbone, and Nehru its intellect,” he remarked, asserting that the movement against the Chief Election Commissioner would persist.
He challenged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take action against the demonstrators. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which have substantial followings in the Dadar area where Shivaji Park is situated, have also expressed their support for the CJP’s protest initiative.
CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka further criticized the Central government, questioning whether citizens opposed to the BJP should have their voting rights revoked. During the protests, Dadlani performed a rendition of “Mera rang de basanti chola,” altering the lyrics to call for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Among the demonstrators was 34-year-old Kushal Gupte from Pune, who traveled to Mumbai because he believes public faith in the electoral system has diminished. “The system has failed everyone, and trust in the Election Commission has been completely eroded. Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation is necessary to restore that trust,” he stated.
A teenager from Kurla, attending the protest with her father and sister, voiced her concerns about the future of democracy and the rights of women and marginalized groups.
While the Mumbai demonstration proceeded despite police refusal to grant permission for the gathering at Shivaji Park, police in Delhi detained approximately 700 protesters who were attempting to assemble at Jantar Mantar after being denied authorization. Prohibitory orders were enforced in the area, and entry and exit to twelve central Delhi Metro stations were temporarily halted.
Among those apprehended were leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) including Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, and Sanjay Singh, as well as Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha, AISA leader Neha Bora, and members of CPI(M)’s student group SFI and Congress’s student wing NSUI.
Prior to the protests commencing, police secured the vicinity around the Parliament Street police station and Jantar Mantar. Bharadwaj arrived at around 10:30 a.m., stating in a video message, “Protesting is our democratic right. However, the police claim that permission for our demonstration has not been granted, despite AAP applying for it peacefully six days ago.” He was subsequently detained.
In a video shared on social media, Atishi expressed, “We were peacefully protesting at Jantar. The Delhi police arrested AAP leaders and volunteers with excessive force.” Over the next five hours, protesters arriving from Ashoka Road, Janpath, and Tolstoy Road were taken to Fatehpur Beri and Badarpur police stations by bus. When Bora arrived, accompanied by Yogendra Yadav and RTI activist Nikhil Dey, many demonstrators had already been detained. The three were also apprehended, with four police officers carrying each of them into a bus.
“The protest targets Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission, but it also reflects a broader discontent. The resignation of the CEC is not the only issue at hand; people are frustrated with the SIR, which disenfranchises millions of voters,” remarked Pawan, a 36-year-old IT professional from Andhra Pradesh, who participated in the demonstration.
