Hundreds of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activists and student organisation members staged a ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Friday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Carrying the national flag and raising slogans against the government, the protesters also condemned the alleged police brutality against demonstrators in Delhi.
Activist Anjali Damania, who addressed the gathering, demanded accountability for the Delhi Police’s alleged excesses. She said the CJP had sought permission to hold the protest at the Gateway of India but was denied permission.
“No one can stop us from waving the Tiranga,” Damania said, adding that citizens had the right to fly the national flag.
Alleging irregularities in the November 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, she claimed that 76 lakh votes were added to the final tally between 5 pm and 6 pm. She also accused Kumar of taking decisions without consulting the other two Election Commissioners and called for his resignation.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Sandip Deshpande, who attended the protest, accused the Narendra Modi-led Union government of diverting public attention from issues such as inflation and rising unemployment.
The protest was organised in solidarity with CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were sent to five days of judicial custody on Wednesday after entering Jantar Mantar in Delhi and raising slogans.
Mumbai Police had granted permission for the protest at Azad Maidan on Thursday. Around 500 police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order.
(With inputs from PTI)