Mumbai: CJP brings Tricolour protest to Azad Maidan after weeks of demonstrations

Mumbai: The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) is holding a Tricolour protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on Friday, bringing its continuing agitation to a designated protest site after a series of demonstrations across the city in recent weeks.

Titled ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’, the rally is intended to express solidarity with CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were sent to judicial custody following their arrest in connection with a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The party has called on supporters to gather with the national flag.

The demonstration has been scheduled between 10 am and 5 pm. Mumbai Police granted permission for the gathering at Azad Maidan, where public meetings and protests are permitted under specified conditions.

The rally comes amid escalating tensions between the party and the authorities over the right to protest, following a series of confrontations in Mumbai and Delhi.

Also read | Supreme Court seeks Centre, Delhi Police response on Jantar Mantar's de-notification as protest site

Another protest in a series of demonstrations across Mumbai

Friday’s gathering is the latest in a series of CJP-linked protests in Mumbai over the past two weeks.

On October 2, CJP supporters assembled at Shivaji Park despite police denying permission for the proposed demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The agitation was linked to concerns over the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

On October 10, another gathering was planned at August Kranti Maidan in support of the party’s agitation in Delhi. Police detained around 600 people, including Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi, actor Imran Khan and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Varun Sardesai, as authorities prevented the gathering from proceeding as planned.

On October 12, a protest involving the CJP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) took place at Shivaji Park, initially conceived as a silent demonstration against the Chief Election Commissioner before turning vocal.

The repeated demonstrations have kept Mumbai at the centre of the wider agitation, with protest organisers seeking to draw attention to their demands while police have cited permission requirements and public-order considerations in dealing with the gatherings.

Also read | Supreme Court issues notice to ECI, CEC Gyanesh Kumar on Rahul Gandhi, INDIA bloc plea; seeks answers on voter roll revision, SIR row

Why is CJP protesting?

The party’s agitation has centred on demands for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and concerns about electoral processes, including the SIR exercise.

The latest rally, however, is specifically focused on expressing solidarity with Ranka and Das after their arrest in Delhi.

According to the party’s account, its leaders and supporters have sought to raise their concerns through demonstrations and the display of the national flag. The arrests have since become a separate focus of the agitation, with the CJP calling for supporters to mobilise in Mumbai and other cities.