The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said Mumbai Police had rejected its request to hold a protest on October 2, prompting the group to warn of an escalation into a “Jail Bharo Andolan” if authorities block the planned demonstration.
CJP co-founder Abhijeet Dipke said on X on Sunday that Mumbai Police had turned down the group's request to stage the demonstration, the latest step in its nationwide campaign calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down.
“Such tactics to suppress citizens' voices are unacceptable,” Dipke said, adding that CJP would launch a “Jail Bharo Andolan” in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti if it was denied the right to protest.
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Mumbai Police has also denied permission for our protest on 2nd October.
— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) September 27, 2026
Such tactics to suppress citizens' voices are unacceptable. If we are denied the right to protest, CJP will launch a Jail Bharo Andolan in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti.#SaveDemocracy
The October 2 campaign was announced after CJP demanded Kumar's resignation over its allegations concerning the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The organisation has alleged that the exercise resulted in the exclusion of more than 13 crore names from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories.
CJP had earlier given Kumar an ultimatum to resign and said its nationwide agitation would begin in Mumbai on October 2 before spreading to other cities.
The group has also called for a freeze on SIR and changes to the legal framework governing the appointment of election commissioners.
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The campaign has received public backing from some political and civil-society figures, including Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and activist Sonam Wangchuk, according to CJP and media reports.
The Election Commission has rejected suggestions of an institutional breakdown, saying differences of view and internal objections are part of the functioning of a multi-member constitutional body.
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