Naseeruddin Shah hugs Cockroach Janta Party's Abhijeet Dipke at Shivaji Park protest; Vishal Dadlani joins to demand the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar

Thousands of people gathered to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, despite police denying permission for the protest.

Veteran actors Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah and singer and music composer Vishal Dadlani were among those who attended the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Friday. Thousands of people gathered at the venue to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, despite police denying permission for the protest. Members of student groups including the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students' Federation (AISF) joined the protest as well.

Shabana, Naseeruddin and Vishal join protest

Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Vishal Dadlani attend CJP protest at Shivaji Park as thousands gather.

The presence of the three celebrities drew attention to the gathering. Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah were seen among the protesters, while Vishal had also voiced his support for the demonstration ahead of Friday’s event. Abhijeet Dipke shared the video of Naseeruddin hugging him. In the video shared by the CJP founder, the veteran actor is heard saying, “Main tumhje shukriya kehna chahta hoon. (I would like to thank you).”

An overwhelmed Abhijeet is hearing saying, “I am a huge fan of you, sir. I had no idea that you would come here. It is a big honour. It’s a dream moment for me.” He captioned the video as, “Am I dreaming or what?”

Shabana Azmi, who was also present during the protests in Delhi a few months ago amid NEET leak issue, said that protest is our right and people must protest when their names are removed from the electoral rolls.

What the CJP is demanding

CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke addressed the protesters and criticised the Narendra Modi-led central government. He said the group had been forced to organise another protest within two months of its earlier agitation at Jantar Mantar over the NEET leak issue. He also challenged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to send the protesters to jail.

The agitation follows recent media reports about objections allegedly raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. According to the reports, objections were recorded on at least 14 occasions over a 10-month period, with some decisions and orders allegedly issued without their knowledge. The Election Commission later clarified that the three-member commission took all decisions, including those related to the SIR, unanimously.

Police officials said they were monitoring the situation to maintain law and order and ensure that traffic in the area was not affected.