WATCH | Election Commission row: Aaditya, Amit Thackeray join stir with UBT, MNS workers in Mumbai; DCP says 300 detained protesters released

Around 300 protesters detained during a demonstration in support of the Cockroach Janta Party CJP in Mumbai on Sunday have been released while the process of registering first information reports FIRs is underway the zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police DCP saidThe protest in Mumbairsquos Shivaji Park area against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar intensified on Sunday evening after Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray and his cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS leader Amit Thackeray arrived with hundreds of supporters Their arrival triggered sporadic sitins and sloganeering amid a massive police deploymentWATCH Mumbai MNS leader Amit Thackeray and Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray staged a protest outside Shivaji Park Police Station against the detention of protesters httpstcoSWMRwMOD04mdash ANI ANI October 11 2026The Thackeray cousins accompanied by party workers gathered near the iconic ground and criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra demanding the release of those detained Leaders and workers of the two parties staged a protest outside Shivaji Park Police Station where most of the detainees had been takenAaditya Thackeray who was accompanied by his brother Tejas alleged that police personnel had attacked and manhandled Shiv Sainiks including women outside Sena Bhavan nearby He claimed that a woman party workerrsquos saree was torn during the commotionldquoWe have appreciated Mumbai Police several times in the past for the way they handled protests They are acting like the Delhi Police now If they behave like this there will be protests everywhere Maharashtra is not going to stop and this is because of the local policerdquo he saidldquoI am giving a call to entire Mumbai to come to Shivaji Park This protest will not subside now If you touch protesters then the agitation will intensify till gaddar Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resignsrdquo Aaditya said He also climbed atop a police vehicle in which detained protesters were seatedThe Shiv Sena UBT leader alleged that the BJP was afraid of peaceful protests and accused the authorities of detaining students who were demonstrating against the ruling dispensationEarlier in a post on X Aaditya had criticised the police action and offered legal assistance to those detainedldquoThe Mumbai Police it seems now is being made to take orders from the very top the very top that is hiding behind barricades of the police force Do let us know where all you are being taken We are coming Also we will stand by you legallyrdquo he saidMNS leader Amit Thackeray also questioned the detentions and announced that his party workers would join the protestldquoFrom tomorrow our MNS activists will be there to protestrdquo he saidMNS leader Sandeep Deshpande alleged that an official from Shivaji Park Police and BJP workers were instigating Navratri mandal functionaries to attack CJP protesters He further alleged that the functionaries were being promised legal support for their actionsldquoWhat kind of democracy is this You donrsquot give a place for people to protest and when people come to protest you will arrest them Is the policersquos job to stop riots or engineer themrdquo Deshpande askedAnjali Damania among those detainedSocial activist Anjali Damania was among those detained from the Shivaji Park Worli and Dadar areas during the dayPolice officials said several people were detained even before reaching the protest site after being identified during precautionary checks conducted to maintain law and orderDamania was intercepted near Shivaji Park and taken away in a private vehicle officials saidldquoAs I reached Shivaji Park in support of CJP police officers came in plainclothes and detained me All the police personnel were in plain clothes and I do not know where they are taking merdquo Damania told PTIOfficials said most of those detained in the vicinity were taken to Shivaji Park Police Station while some were shifted to nearby police stationsA senior police official had said legal action would be taken against those assembling at Shivaji Park to protest without obtaining permission from the authoritiesThe area witnessed heavy police deployment and road barricades as authorities sought to prevent unauthorised gatherings Personnel from nearby police stations were also called in to maintain law and orderThe protest came on the first day of Navratri one of Maharashtrarsquos major festivals when police deployment is typically increased to manage crowds and maintain securityOn Saturday police had detained around 600 people at various locations across Mumbai for protesting without permission in solidarity with CJPThe party has been protesting against alleged irregularities in voter rolls and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh KumarWith PTI and ANI inputs