Mumbai police deny permission for protest; CJP warns of ‘jail bharo’ stir if right to protest is denied

MUMBAI: Police have denied permission for a protest scheduled to be held in Mumbai on October 2 demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, said Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke. He warned that the party would launch a ‘jail bharo’ agitation in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti if its right to protest was denied. Dipke said in a post on X that Mumbai Police had denied permission for the October 2 protest and that such measures to suppress the voice of citizens could not be accepted. The CJP had earlier announced that it would launch a nationwide protest from Mumbai on October 2 if Gyanesh did not resign by September 26. The call for the protest came amid reports of differences within the Election Commission over its functioning and decisions.

Mumbai Police, meanwhile, explained the reason for denying permission for the protest. The police said they were not empowered to grant permission for a public meeting at Shivaji Park, citing restrictions on the use of the ground, the absence of the required civic permission, noise concerns and the possibility of traffic disruption. The applicant, Ajinkya Shinde, had been informed of this and was advised to identify another venue in Mumbai and apply for the necessary permission, the police said. The police also said that an application to hold the protest at a new venue would be considered appropriately. Responding to the police explanation, Dipke questioned how others had been granted permission to hold programmes at Shivaji Park. “If that is the case, how was permission granted to Eknath Shinde?” he asked.

Gyanesh Kumar has been at the centre of a fresh controversy surrounding the functioning of the Election Commission. An investigative report published by The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on several occasions over decisions and orders related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The report came amid questions over the Commission’s handling of the SIR process. The Election Commission, however, said that differing views and observations were a normal part of institutional deliberations and maintained that key decisions, including those related to the SIR, had been taken with the unanimous approval of all three Commissioners.

The Election Commission also said its orders had full legal backing and followed statutory procedures. The Commission’s response came against the backdrop of the reported differences over its functioning, while the CJP’s planned protest has now run into the issue of permission for the proposed gathering at Shivaji Park. The police have asked the organisers to seek permission for a different venue, while Dipke has warned that the party will begin a ‘jail bharo’ agitation if its right to protest is denied.