India’s satirical political party Cockroach Janata Party, or CJP, has announced a jail bharo, or mass arrest, movement after failing to secure permission for a protest rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.
Party founder Abhijit Dipke announced the program Monday, Sept. 28. The movement is scheduled to begin on Gandhi Jayanti on Oct. 2, demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner.
Mumbai police said Shivaji Park is designated only for sports. A rally there could create noise pollution and cause problems for patients traveling to and from major hospitals nearby, police said. Therefore, permission for a political gathering there could not be granted.
Strongly criticizing the police decision, Abhijit Dipke wrote on social media that such tactics to suppress the voice of ordinary people could not be accepted in any way.
CJP has been demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner since media reports were published recently on several controversial decisions by the Election Commission related to voter list revision. The party called the movement as part of that campaign.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report