Mumbai Police on Saturday registered an FIR against organisers and 400-500 unidentified persons over the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Shivaji Park on Friday, alleging unlawful assembly, obstruction of traffic, use of loudspeakers without permission and disobedience of a lawful order.
The case was registered at Shivaji Park police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Police Act, following a complaint by a resident of the area.
“No one has been arrested in the case. Further probe is underway,” the official said.
The CJP, founded by Abhijeet Dipke, had organised the protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
According to the FIR, around 400-500 protesters, including CJP members, gathered near Gate No. 6 of the Shivaji Park grounds in Dadar West around 2 pm and remained there until 7 pm. Police alleged that the gathering took place on a public road, disrupted traffic and created a law-and-order situation.
Police also alleged that loudspeakers were used to address the protesters without the required permission.
Shivaji Park resident and advocate Siddhi Deolekar separately lodged a complaint against Dipke and others, alleging that they proceeded with the protest and attempted to gather a large crowd without the required permissions.
The CJP had held a “Jail Bharo” protest on Friday, seeking Kumar’s immediate resignation amid concerns raised over the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.
The demonstration comes days after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions and orders on the SIR that they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
Under fire over the red flags raised by two of its commissioners over the SIR process, the EC has asserted that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations in any institution and that all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
(With inputs from PTI)
