The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) staged a peaceful protest near the Pune district collector’s office on Saturday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. They also condemned the arrests of three of its leaders in Delhi.
Protesters carried the national flag, filling the area around the collector’s office with the tricolour. The party demanded that Kumar take responsibility for the alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise and step down from his post. The protesters condemned the arrests of senior leaders Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurabh Das in Delhi. The party described the demonstration as a peaceful assertion of democratic rights, arguing that the arrests raised concerns about the freedom to protest and the protection of electoral rights.
Held under the banner of “Lehra Do Tiranga”, the protest saw participation from students, young people, senior citizens and representatives of various social organisations and political parties. The arrests followed the unfurling of the national flag at Jantar Mantar, according to the CJP. “Where is democracy if unfurling the national flag becomes a crime and young people raising their voices for voters’ rights are sent to jail?” the protesters asked.
