A Shivaji Park resident has filed a complaint with the Mumbai Police against leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over a protest held at Shivaji Park on Friday, despite police denying permission for the gathering.
The complainant, advocate Siddhi Deolekar, who said she has lived in the Shivaji Park area for around 10 years, told ANI that she was not opposed to the right to protest but objected to the demonstration being held at a location where permission had reportedly been denied.
Deolekar referred to a communication issued by the Shivaji Park Police Station and said the protesters should have followed designated locations for demonstrations. She suggested places such as Azad Maidan or Jantar Mantar as alternatives.
The protest was organised by CJP founder Abhijit Dipke, along with other party leaders, including chief spokesperson Saurav Das and national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka. Singer Vishal Dadlani was also present at the demonstration.
The protesters were seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in electoral rolls and raising concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission.
Mumbai Police had earlier denied permission for the gathering at Shivaji Park, citing concerns including traffic congestion, noise pollution and disruption of movement in the area. Despite the denial, Dipke announced a “Jail Bharo Andolan” at the venue.
Deolekar said she and other residents approached the police because they wanted assistance and to feel secure during the protest. She thanked Mumbai Police for responding to their concerns and said she hoped appropriate action would be taken.
The CJP has described the Mumbai protest as the first stage of a wider nationwide agitation over electoral-roll issues. Separately, student activists and AAP leaders have been holding demonstrations at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, also demanding Kumar’s resignation.
The controversy surrounding the Election Commission follows reports that election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to several decisions of the poll panel over a period of 10 months. The reported issues included electoral rolls, changes to Form 6 and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Opposition parties have cited the reported objections while questioning the functioning of the poll panel and calling for Kumar’s resignation.
The Election Commission, however, rejected the suggestion that the reported differences indicated a lack of consensus within the three-member constitutional body. The ECI said that individual observations and suggestions are part of deliberations and maintained that final decisions, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously.
The Mumbai protest and the subsequent complaint have added another layer to the ongoing political dispute over electoral rolls and the functioning of the Election Commission.
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