04 October,2026 07:24 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
Abhijeet Dipke waves to a sea of protestors at Shivaji Park on Saturday. Pics/PTI
The Shivaji Park police have registered an FIR against Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, as well as other organisers and 400-500 unidentified supporters in connection with the October 2 protest at Shivaji Park against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and alleged voter roll irregularities. The case was registered on Saturday following a complaint by a local resident and advocate.
This comes just hours after Dipke posted on X on Friday: "Thank you, Mumbai Police, for your cooperation today. Salute to all the police personnel who were on duty!"
According to the police, CJP had been denied permission to hold the protest at Shivaji Park. "Despite this, a large number of supporters gathered near Gate No 6 of the ground and the Meenatai Thackeray Memorial in Dadar West on Friday. The gathering, which began in the afternoon and continued till evening, allegedly resulted in obstruction of traffic and disruption of public movement," a police officer said.
The police have also alleged that the protesters raised slogans and used loudspeakers without the required permission. The gathering allegedly caused traffic congestion in the area and created a law-and-order situation.
The FIR names Dipke along with several CJP members, including Ajinkya Shinde, Pranay Ahire, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das, Afreen Nawaz, Soumya Korde, Ankit Bhardwaj, Vijay Malangi and Yogesh Ingale, besides 400-500 unidentified persons.
The case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Police Act, relating to unlawful assembly, disobedience of a lawful order issued by a public servant and other alleged violations. Police said no arrests have been made so far and the investigation is underway.
The complaint was filed by Siddhi Deolekar, a resident of the Shivaji Park area and an advocate. She had alleged that CJP leaders proceeded with the protest despite the police refusing permission for the gathering. Her complaint also referred to restrictions on public gatherings and the use of loudspeakers in the area following directions of the Bombay High Court and subsequent government orders.
Dipke had announced the protest as a "jail bharo" agitation and called on supporters to gather at Shivaji Park despite the denial of police permission. The gathering attracted hundreds of supporters and several public figures.
The protest was organised by the CJP over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with protesters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Dipke said on social media that the movement would continue despite the police action. He said that more cases could be filed against the protesters, but they would continue their campaign in what he described as a fight to "save democracy." The CJP has also announced plans for further protests, including a proposed gathering at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on October 10 if its demand for CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation is not met.
Police are examining video recordings of Friday's protest, including footage recorded at the spot and CCTV footage from the surrounding area. The exercise is expected to help the police identify people who allegedly participated in the gathering and determine the role of individual organisers and protestors. As of Saturday, no arrests had been made in the case.
