03 October,2026 08:27 AM IST | Mumbai | Madhulika Ram Kavattur
CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke and others address protesters at Shivaji Park on Friday. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Hundreds of protesters gathered at Shivaji Park on Friday for the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) agitation demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, despite Mumbai Police having denied permission for the gathering. The crowd began building up near Gate 6 from around 2.30 pm, ahead of the scheduled 4 pm protest. By the evening, young protesters, student groups and activists had filled the area, carrying the Tricolour and placards with slogans including "Gyanu, Tujha Democracy Var Bharosa Nay Kay?", "Gyanesh BRO, JUST RESIGN" and "Gaddaar Gyaanu Must Go".
Mumbai Police had denied permission for the protest before Friday, citing restrictions governing Shivaji Park, lack of civic clearance and concerns over traffic and emergency access. A police officer told this paper that around 500 personnel had been deployed. The CJP had described the gathering as a "Jail Bharo Andolan", saying its volunteers were prepared to face detention.
Gopalakrishna Pillai, 75, who came from Thane, suffered a heart attack and died during treatment, police said.
Addressing the protesters, CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke questioned the Centre and the Maharashtra government and said those gathered were prepared to face detention. "We must not let the government divide us. We are a country where people of all castes and religions live together," Dipke said. The protest ended with the crowd thanking the Mumbai Police for their cooperation and chanting, "We love Mumbai Police."
"The reason we have called this protest Jail Bharo is to show that we do not fear detention by the police, especially when we are speaking about a topic which is very important for this country." The volunteer also claimed organisers had been orally told by police that there would be no detention and that they could hold the gathering between 4 pm and 7 pm. There was no written permission cited for this claim.
Activists of a political party allegedly clashed with police and CJP protesters near Shivaji Park, with complaints lodged at the police station. CJP volunteers alleged that police were escorting some activists away when one of them grabbed a cop by the collar and threatened him. An eyewitness claimed the activists had been removed after allegedly hitting protesters with sticks, including a 15-year-old boy.
Marshall Machado, a Sion resident
"Previously, whenever the EC had gone through revisions, it was to add the names of the people who were not already on the voters' list. This is the first time that the revisions were done to remove the names of Indian citizens, who were then asked again to apply to be added to the list."
Rupali Gaikwad, 33, a Mulund resident
"I have come here all the way from Mulund to protest for the basic right of democracy. I have read up on the SIR and what we are left with if we don't have our right to vote. I am a content creator myself, and I hope to support the protest through my platform."
Ashish Pandya, Goregaon resident, 41
"In fact, I am one of those people who has been removed from the voter list after the SIR this time. I was not in Mumbai during that time, and neither could I do it online."
Zeervan Bunshah, a Dadar East resident and social media influencer
"We are seeing that the electoral commission is managing to create legal loopholes and manipulate the voters' lists. We have to come to the streets to protest these irregularities; I was present at the NEET protest too."
Sanskriti Yaglik, a lawyer from Jogeshwari
"I am a lawyer, and I have been actively researching issues like SIR. I have been part of earlier protests, and I'm here today too. I believe that as long as people come out on the streets and have conversations, express solidarity for the issues they feel about, a protest gets its justice."
The protest combined political slogans with satire and pop-culture references. Protesters carried placards using film dialogues and memes, while some groups played musical instruments and led chants of "Chale Jao", "Vapas Do" and "Band Karo". Manish Mandal, a student from Sion, wore jewellery made from "Melody" chocolate wrappers and carried a banner reading "Fraud detergent powder" in Devanagari. The protest coincided with Gandhi Jayanti, with quotations on non-violence and simplicity displayed alongside references to Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Veteran actors Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, singer-music director Vishal Dadlani, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and activist Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, were among the prominent personalities present, according to the organisers and reports from the protest.
Other names listed in the source material include Hansal Mehta, Rohan Joshi, Ameen Hajee, Anand Patwardhan and Raunaq Rajani.
The CJP's principal demand is the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The group has also raised concerns about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanded greater transparency in the functioning and appointment of election commissioners. The mobilisation followed reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on several occasions over decisions and orders related to the SIR. The Election Commission has maintained that the three-member commission takes decisions collectively and that its decisions on the SIR were unanimous.
