Mumbai Police File FIR Against CJP Leaders, 400–500 Unidentified Persons Over Shivaji Park Protest

Mumbai. The Mumbai Police on Saturday registered an FIR against leaders and organisers of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and 400–500 unidentified persons in connection with the party’s protest at Shivaji Park on October 2. The demonstration was held to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over concerns raised by the CJP regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The case was registered at Shivaji Park Police Station following a complaint by a resident of the area. According to the police, the FIR includes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to unlawful assembly and alleged disobedience of a lawful order issued by a public servant, along with provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and party members including Pranav Ahire, Ashutosh Ranka, Ajinkya Shinde, Saurav Das, Afreen Nawaz, Saumya Korde, Ankit Bharadwaj, Vijay Malangi and Yogesh Ingle have been named in the case. Police said the gathering took place despite permission for the protest having been denied.

The police also cited allegations of unlawful assembly, sloganeering, disruption of traffic and use of loudspeakers without permission during the demonstration. The authorities had earlier advised the organisers to seek permission for an alternative venue.

No arrests have been made in the case so far, according to the police, and further investigation is underway. The CJP, meanwhile, has continued to raise questions over the Election Commission’s handling of the SIR exercise and has demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.