A day after the CJP’s Shivaji Park protest over Gyanesh Kumar and SIR, Mumbai Police registered an FIR against supporters over alleged unlawful assembly and traffic disruption.
Mumbai: Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) following its October 2 protest at Shivaji Park, where demonstrators demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over concerns surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
FIR registered after Shivaji Park protest
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The Shivaji Park police registered the FIR on Saturday against CJP supporters over allegations including unlawful assembly, disruption of traffic, slogan-shouting and the use of loudspeakers without permission.
Police said around 400 to 500 unidentified supporters and protesters gathered near Gate No. 6 of Shivaji Park in Dadar West on Friday. The gathering reportedly began around 2 pm and continued until about 7 pm.
The case names several CJP members, including Ajinkya Shinde, Pranay Ahire, Ashutosh Ranka, Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, Afreen Nawaz, Soumya Korde, Ankit Bhardwaj, Vijay Malangi and Yogesh Ingale.
The FIR invokes relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Maharashtra Police Act.
Protest was held despite permission being denied
Mumbai Police had earlier denied permission for the CJP demonstration at Shivaji Park, citing concerns including traffic congestion, noise and disruption to vehicular movement. CJP subsequently announced a ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ at the venue.
The protest nevertheless drew a large gathering. Several public figures, including actors Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah and musician Vishal Dadlani, participated in or addressed the demonstration.
The central demand was the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The CJP has also raised objections to the SIR process and called for changes relating to electoral rolls.
CJP says protest will continue
Following the FIR, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the movement would continue.
“File more cases but we will still keep fighting to save our democracy,” Dipke said in a post on X, according to Hindustan Times.
Dipke has also announced another protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10 if Kumar does not resign. He said the planned demonstration would be peaceful.
Resident also files complaint
Separately, Shivaji Park resident and advocate Siddhi Deolekar filed a complaint against Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ratna Singh, alleging that the organisers proceeded with the gathering despite permission being denied.
The complaint cited concerns over the alleged unauthorised gathering and its impact on the area.
Election Commission rejects allegations of internal rift
The protests followed reports about disagreements involving Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over issues including electoral rolls, voter registration and the Commission's technology systems.
The Election Commission has rejected suggestions of an internal rift and maintained that decisions relating to SIR were taken unanimously.
The dispute over SIR and electoral rolls has now become a focus of demonstrations in Mumbai and Delhi, with separate opposition-backed protests also taking place in the national capital.
The FIR adds a legal dimension to the political dispute surrounding the CJP's campaign against Gyanesh Kumar. The immediate issues are the police investigation into the Shivaji Park gathering and whether further protests planned by the CJP, including the proposed October 10 demonstration in Delhi, will receive permission.
The CJP, meanwhile, has said it intends to continue its campaign over the Election Commission and electoral-roll issues.
Published: 03 Oct 2026, 05:39 pm IST
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