Slogans, satire and heavy deployment at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park

Shivaji Park, Mumbai: The protest by the Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is underway at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, where hundreds of protesters have gathered despite Mumbai Police denying permission for the demonstration.

The atmosphere at the ground is charged, with protesters waving the Tricolour, raising slogans and using satire, memes and popular film-style dialogues to target the CEC.

Placards reading “Gyanu, Tujha Democracy Var Bharosa Nay Kay?”, “Gyanesh BRO, JUST RESIGN” and “Gaddaar Gyaanu Must Go” are being held up by protesters, while slogans such as “Chale Jao”, “Vapas Do” and “Band Karo” continue to ring out across the protest site.

The demonstration, announced as a ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’, has been organised by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who has been demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls and what the party has described as an Election Commission dissent row.

Dipke had earlier announced that the campaign would begin in Mumbai and could subsequently spread to cities across India if Kumar did not resign.

Security has been tightened around Shivaji Park. Barricades have been placed around the ground and parts of the area have been cordoned off, with anti-riot personnel, quick-response teams and dog squads kept on alert.

A video shared by a Shivaji Park resident showed Gate Number 6 completely blocked by barricades on Thursday night.

Mumbai Police had denied permission to the CJP to hold the protest at the iconic ground.

The police have said they are not empowered to grant permission for a gathering at Shivaji Park because of a 2013 Bombay High Court order and have also cited the area’s status as a silence zone.

Despite the restrictions, protesters began assembling at the venue and the gathering has grown to hundreds.

The mood on the ground has been marked by a combination of political slogans and theatrical satire aimed at the CEC.

The CJP has been openly calling for Kumar’s resignation, while its supporters accuse the Election Commission of compromising electoral rights through the SIR exercise.

These allegations are part of the wider political dispute surrounding the revision of electoral rolls.

Earlier in the day, Abhijeet Dipke was seen moving through Mumbai in an autorickshaw and personally urging people to head towards the protest venue.

Sitting in the vehicle, the CJP founder repeatedly shouted, “Chala chala Shivaji Park… Shivaji Park… Shivaji Park,” as he promoted the evening demonstration.

Dipke had also met students at Ambedkar Hostel in Chembur ahead of the protest, with photographs from the meeting showing him interacting with students.

He was later briefly detained by Mumbai Police at Marine Drive and subsequently released.

The CJP has placed three major demands at the centre of its campaign.

The party is demanding that Gyanesh Kumar resign, face criminal proceedings and reveal who allegedly gave the orders that are being questioned by the protesters.

It is also demanding that the SIR exercise be frozen, that the January 2025 voter list be restored and that an independent inquiry be ordered.

Its third demand is the repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of election commissioners and the introduction of what it describes as a transparent appointment law with civil-society participation.

The protest has also drawn support from personalities from the film and music industries. Actor Shabana Azmi has backed the October 2 mobilisation and urged citizens to gather at Shivaji Park.

Singer Vishal Dadlani has also announced his participation.

In a video released ahead of the protest, Dadlani sang, “Zor se bolo Go Gyanu Go, milke bolo, Go Gyanu Go, saath mein bolo, Go Gyanu Go.”

He then directly addressed Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the CEC had interfered with India’s democracy and electoral system and saying that he had to go.

Dadlani confirmed that he would join the CJP protest at 4 pm at Shivaji Park and appealed to people to attend, saying, “The country needs you.”

He ended his message by saying, “Hasenge, mazza karenge, bade pyaar se Gyanu ko ravaana karenge. Jai Hind.”

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah also met Abhijeet Dipke at the park, where the CJP had been preparing for its protest.

Dipke later shared a video of the meeting on X and expressed his disbelief at seeing the veteran actor join them on Gandhi Jayanti.

Shah had previously spoken out in July against the police action during the CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march.

At the time, he condemned what he described as violence against young protesters and compared those involved in the crackdown to American ICE agents.

In a video shared on Instagram, the actor expressed anger over the treatment of the demonstrators and said the episode had strengthened his hope in the country’s youth.

Actor Prakash Raj has also thrown his support behind the campaign.

In a video shared on X, he urged citizens to support the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest demanding Kumar’s resignation.

Prakash Raj criticised the SIR exercise and made allegations about its implications for citizenship and democracy.

His remarks form part of the increasingly sharp political rhetoric surrounding the electoral-roll revision.

Medical support has also been arranged at the Mumbai protest site. A team of doctors arrived at Shivaji Park ahead of the Jail Bharo Andolan and said they would provide medical assistance to protesters.

The doctors present at the venue also expressed support for the demonstration.

The mobilisation in Mumbai comes amid a broader political confrontation over electoral rolls and the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision.

Opposition parties have criticised the SIR process, while the Election Commission has maintained that decisions regarding the exercise were taken unanimously by its three-member commission.

The dispute has increasingly moved from political statements into street protests, with demonstrators demanding greater accountability from the poll panel and specifically calling for Kumar’s resignation.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has hit back at the CJP campaign, saying that the group’s “fake narrative” had been “busted” by the Election Commissioners’ press conference.

Fadnavis said attempts were still being made to continue pushing that narrative but claimed those efforts would not succeed.

The CJP, meanwhile, has continued its campaign and says it will take the protest to other parts of the country if its demands are not met.

The mobilisation is not restricted to Mumbai.

In Delhi, social activists and student groups have called a gathering at Jantar Mantar, with the All India Students’ Association, Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha and Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan among those backing the protest.

AAP leaders Atishi, Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia have also appealed to people to participate.

Protesters in Delhi are raising demands linked to electoral rolls, the conduct of elections and Kumar’s resignation, and hundreds were detained in the national capital during the demonstrations.

In Bengaluru, INDIA bloc-linked student groups and civil-society organisations, including the Cockroach Janta Party, held a demonstration at Freedom Park against the Election Commission’s SIR exercise and demanded Kumar’s resignation.

Back in Mumbai, the protest at Shivaji Park continues amid a heavy police presence. With barricades surrounding parts of the ground, protesters remain gathered, waving Tricolours and raising slogans against the CEC.

What began as a campaign over electoral rolls and the SIR exercise has now become a highly visible street confrontation, with political leaders, student groups, activists and film personalities joining the debate.

At Shivaji Park, the sound of slogans, satirical placards and calls for Kumar’s resignation continues as the CJP presses ahead with its Jail Bharo Andolan.