CJP protest at Shivaji Park: Police assess complaints, seek legal opinion

Mumbai, Oct 3 (UNI) Mumbai Police are examining complaints and legal options following a large protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Shivaji Park without official permission, with a significant difference emerging between the crowd estimates of the police and the organisers.

While the police put the turnout at around 4,500 to 5,000, the CJP claimed that between 35,000 and 40,000 people participated in Friday's demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Police officials said they would obtain legal advice before deciding whether to initiate proceedings against the organisers for allegedly defying the authorities' refusal to grant permission for the gathering.

The issue has also drawn a formal complaint from a local resident, adding to the scrutiny of the organisers and the circumstances under which the protest was held. Siddhi Deolekar, a local resident and advocate, lodged a complaint at Shivaji Park Police Station against CJP activists Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ratna Singh, the party's head of legal affairs, along with others.

In her complaint and a subsequent post on social media platform X, Deolekar alleged that the organisers went ahead with the demonstration despite being explicitly denied permission and mobilised a large crowd at the public ground. She urged the police to take appropriate action against those responsible for holding the gathering.

UNI AAA IM