The Cockroach Janata Party has again called protests to demand the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, amid controversy over the country’s electoral system and the revision of voter lists. Its founder, Abhijit Dipke, has announced a large protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on 10 October.
Large numbers of people joined the party’s protest at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Friday, gathering despite not having police permission. Protesters demanded Kumar’s resignation and objected to the special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter lists.
After the protest Dipke announced the 10 October programme on social media, saying that if Kumar had not resigned by then, supporters from across the country would travel to Delhi for a sit-in and protest at Jantar Mantar. If police stopped them on the way, he warned, they would protest wherever they were stopped, but the whole programme would be peaceful and follow Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of non-violence.
An earlier protest demanding Kumar’s resignation was held in Delhi on 2 October, when police detained several protesters near Jantar Mantar for gathering without permission, among them former Delhi chief minister Atishi, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, AISA leader Neha Bora and several Aam Aadmi Party leaders. Reports put the number detained at more than 700.
Actor Shabana Azmi and singer Vishal Dadlani were among the well-known figures at the Mumbai rally, where Dipke announced that the movement would be widened.
The party’s stand on the voter-list revision and the Election Commission’s role has stirred fresh political debate in India. The Election Commission has denied irregularities in the voter lists and says it is taking steps to include all eligible citizens.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report