Mumbai: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Abhijeet Dipke on Friday claimed that a large number of people would join the protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, saying the police barricades would not be enough to contain the gathering. 

He was addressing a gathering of protesters at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, organised against the Election Commission over allegations concerning the SIR exercise. Heavy police deployment was reported at the venue as protesters gathered despite objections from some local residents.

Dipke also made allegations against Delhi Police DCP Sachin Sharma while referring to protests against the CEC in Delhi. “Some police officers were telling me that this Sachin Sharma is a Sanghi. He is Amit Shah’s favourite,” he said, adding, “If you are a Sanghi, wear khaki shorts (RSS uniform), don’t wear the police uniform!”

Actor Shabana Azmi, who addressed the gathering, said voting was a fundamental right and questioned what would happen if voters' names were removed from electoral rolls.

“We will protest! This is our right,” Azmi said, describing the gathering as a “victory of democracy”. She said the Constitution guaranteed citizens the right to vote.
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Fadnavis rejects allegations, calls it ‘fake narrative’

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis rejected allegations against the Election Commission, saying attempts to build what he called a “fake narrative” would not succeed.

“The entire matter has been exposed. Following the press conference held by the three Election Commissioners, their fake narrative has been busted. Yet, attempts are still being made to push this fake narrative. They will not succeed in this,” Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai.

The Chief Minister's remarks came as CJP activists and other civil society groups gathered at Shivaji Park to protest against the Election Commission and CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

CJP spokesperson Saurav Das accused Kumar of being a “traitor” and claimed the Mumbai protest would receive support from people across the country.
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Residents object to Shivaji Park protest venue

Meanwhile, some Shivaji Park residents objected to holding the demonstration at the venue, citing inconvenience caused by frequent protests.

Resident Sunil Bhagwat said people regularly visit the park for walks and questioned the disruption caused by repeated demonstrations.

“We come here for walks in this park, but many protests have been happening here recently. Who is responsible for the troubles being caused to the common people?” he said.

Another resident, Ravindra, referred to an earlier protest at the venue and alleged that the large gathering had affected traffic movement and caused inconvenience to residents. He also raised concerns about the proximity of schools and a hospital to the protest site.

The protests come amid allegations and objections concerning the SIR exercise. The Election Commission has maintained that decisions relating to the exercise were taken unanimously.

(With ANI inputs)