'Gyanesh, It's Done Bro': Thousands At Mumbai CJP Protest, Celebs Show Support

CJP protests in Mumbai's Shivaji Park demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

(CJP protested in Mumbai demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation)

(Kumar Ankit/The Quint)

Thousands gathered at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on October 2 for the Cockroach Janta Party’s ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over its concerns about electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The protest went ahead despite Mumbai Police denying permission for the gathering. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke addressed the crowd, while actors Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Vishal Dadlani, among other public figures, were present in support of the protest.

The CJP has demanded that the 2025 electoral roll be frozen and has called for greater transparency in the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner. The organisation has said its agitation will move to other cities if its demands are not met.

Ahead of the large-scale protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Mumbai and Delhi on 2 October, CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka spoke to The Quint about the group’s demands, the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and the police action against protesters.

“This is a young generation that is asking for better. Everybody understands that when we are asking for a better system, nobody can oppose it," Saurav Das said.

For Das, the protest is part of a larger campaign around electoral rights and institutional accountability.

For Das, the protest is part of a larger campaign around electoral rights and institutional accountability.

“So, the BJP may say whatever they may want to. We are here on issues and the issue today, the burning issue is that Gen Z is being stopped from being a voter, that votes are being deleted, votes are being stolen, voter lists are being manipulated. The right to vote, which is the only tool available to change the system, that right to vote has been taken away from crores and crores of people through Gyanesh Kumar. So, we need to fix his accountability. We need to come out in big numbers. Only then will we be able to make sure that the system changes as a young generation.”

Das also linked CJP’s electoral concerns to its campaign for school reform, arguing that teachers are being assigned duties that take them away from teaching.

“Teachers will do BLOs, right? Similarly, our campaign for school reform is coming out that the teacher is not able to teach. They give him the duty of BLO, SIR, Census. So, when will the child study? So, you create a problem, then to solve that problem, you create another big problem. How are these useless and disgusting people sitting in the system? I think we should get rid of these people as soon as possible."

CJP's Mumbai Protest

CJP had planned to hold its Mumbai protest at Shivaji Park at 4 pm on 2 October. However, the Mumbai Police did not grant permission to the group to hold the protest at the venue.

CJP nevertheless appealed to people in Mumbai to turn up.

"That's why this protest is starting from here, from Mumbai. I appeal to the people of Mumbai that everyone should come out in large numbers today at Shivaji Park at 4 o'clock. Mumbai police is much more professional than Delhi police. Let me say that. Delhi police must learn a thing or two from the Mumbai police. The Mumbai police will ensure that there is a peaceful protest here. We will also fully cooperate with them. This is a young generation that is asking for better. And everybody understands that when we are asking for a better system, nobody can oppose it."

CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka also spoke about the police action against protesters in Delhi and said he hoped the situation in Mumbai would be different.

"All the crime has ended in Delhi, there are no more rapes happening, there are no murders happening, there are no thefts happening. Delhi police is completely free which is why they have deployed thousands of them to arrest peaceful protestors, arrest students, arrest youth. So, congratulations to Delhi police and thanks, hats off for making Delhi crime free."

On the possibility of police detention in Mumbai, Ranka said:

"I hope Bombay would be different, I hope Mumbai police will cooperate with us, we are peaceful, we have kept all our protests peacefully, we have done all our protests very peacefully and we hope it will be the way today here in Mumbai."

Ranka also questioned the authority behind decisions related to voter rolls and the delimitation of Assam.

"You know of course we are protesting against the government and to get permission from them is not possible, right? So as protestors we are just to inform them. Who gave Gyanesh Kumar the permission to disenfranchise 13 crore voters in this country? Who gave him that permission? Who gave him the permission to manipulate the boundaries of Assam to favour BJP? Who gave him that permission? So why is all the permission limited only to peaceful protestors, only to citizens of this country? Gyanesh Kumar is the biggest traitor of our India and he has to resign, he has to go and he has to be arrested."

Speaking to The Quint, CJP Spokesperson Ratna Singh said "When a citizen has to protest, there is no need to take permission, but to let the police officials and the authorities know, which we have already done. Since the protest is happening, it is their duty to maintain law and order. That is why the police needs to know. If we are protesting against the State for anything concerning the normal citizen, it doesn't make sense that we go to the State to take permission for it."

"The people know what is happening in the country. If they are not allowing people to assemble and have peaceful gatherings and talk about things that matter to them, that suggests that they want to stop the voices of the common citizen. If they're doing that, if they're detaining people and not letting them protest, then it is showing that we are not living in a democracy, where people have the right to speak up. It is going to show very badly on the government itself. Even if we are questioning the Election Commission of India, why is the government having problems with that." added Singh.

CJP has called for the SIR process to be frozen and for greater transparency in the process of appointing the Chief Election Commissioner.

The group has also said that after Mumbai, it will hold protests in six other cities, irrespective of whether it receives permission from the authorities.

'Gyanesh It's Done Bro': Celebs Extend Support

CJP members and civil society activists were reported to have gathered at Shivaji Park earlier in the day, where a heavy police presence was deployed. The Mumbai Police had earlier denied permission for the protest, saying that they were "not empowered" to provide permissions to protest at Shivaji Park. However, protesters were able to reach Shivaji Park at the designated time, and proceed with the protest, with Abhijeet Dipke in an X post thanking the Mumbai Police for their cooperation.

"Police and the State had threatened jail for three days, and yet everybody showed up." Filmmaker Anand Patwardhan said to The Quint.

Several celebrities joined and voiced support for the protests, including actors Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, and Shashank Arora, songwriter Vishal Dadlani, filmmaker Anand Pathwardhan, comedian Rohan Joshi.

Dadlani sang Mera Rang De Basanti Chola.

Shabana Azmi said "We've been hearing since chindhood that our vote is our right and our voice, but that vote has been stolen from us. What will we do? We will protest."

Actor Shashank Arora, speaking to The Quint said "I can't have a corrupt Election Commission Officer. I can't have a corrupt Prime Minister. Everyone is dying. We have temples. That's great."

The protesters also sang the National Anthem together at the Shivaji Park.

Abhijeet Dipke, speaking to the crowd at Shivaji Park, said "No one can divide us. This country can only move forward when Hindus and Muslims are united. Many like Modi have come before who have tried to divide this country. One such became Pakistan's Prime Minister. If Modi wants to do such politics, go do in Pakistan, do not do this in my Bharat. Because in my Bharat, people of all castes and religions live together."