Prakash Raj fumes at detentions and crackdown on anti-CEC protest at Jantar Mantar, Anurag Kashyap hails ‘lakhs of bravehearts’

The protesters are seeking the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

A heavy police crackdown and security deployment in the national capital in light of the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) scheduled protest at Jantar Mantar have drawn flak from several figures in the film industry. The protest against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was called by the CJP to demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the revised voter roll.

Several names from the film industry have reacted to the crackdown in Delhi and showed solidarity with the protestors.

Key CJP leaders, including Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained along with hundreds of protestors and journalists trying to gather in Central Delhi.

Prakash Raj slams police crackdown

Actor and activist Prakash Raj took to his X account and shared a cartoon by Satish Acharya. He wrote in the caption, “How long will you escape from Citizens dissent #justasking.” He also made a video addressing the detentions and shared on X, where he called out the detention of Abhijeet, Saurav and Ashutosh from the flight. “What is this hungama? Detaining youngsters from the flights and homes? Not even letting them reaching the protest site? You have not arrested our voice! You have arrested yourself. This country will not let you kill democracy, it is a long fight and we will continue to ask questions… Game on! The nation is watching.”

Anurag Kashyap hails protesters

Meanwhile, director Anurag Kashyap took to his Instagram account on Saturday and wrote, “Do Darpok, 40,000 ghulam, Lakhon bahadur (2 of them scared, 40,000 of them slaves, and lakhs of bravehearts).”

In a separate post, Anurag also urged Instagram users to follow All India Students' Association (AISA) president Neha Bora live. Neha started the protest at Dilli Haat with hundreds of people, until she was detained too.

Other reactions from Bollywood

Editor and filmmaker Apurva Asrani noted the detention of Abhijeet Dipke, Ratna Singh and Dhruv Rathee on October 10 and wrote, “Tell me this is not dictatorship.” “The end of democracy,” he wrote in the caption.

Singer Vishal Dadlani also fumed at the crackdown and shared a video on Instagram. He said, “At present, the whole world is watching that the system can go to such lengths to save one person. They are going against its own people, their right to protest in this country. 23 battalions have been called for the crackdown. The entire city is on a standstill, with cancellations of trains and metros. Only to save one person! So think for yourself what this person must have done for this system and how the system has been broken down to save him.”

Filmmaker Shirish Kunder tweeted, “How long can you survive if you have to use force to protect yourself from your own people?”

“When even the kids start mocking you, it's time to realise that absolutely no one is scared of you anymore,” he added in a second post.

Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane shared several posts on Instagram Stories condemning the detention of protesters in Delhi. Actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub shared a Hindi translation of the poem by German theatre practitioner and playwright Bertolt Brecht on his X account in solidarity with the protesters.

Comedian Vir Das also reacted to the detentions. In a post on X, he shared a screenshot of the meaning of the Streisand Effect, implying that the government response has only given more publicity to the protests.

Massive security deployment as detentions continue

More than 40,000 Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel have been deployed in New Delhi, turning the capital into a heavily-armed fortress to curtail protests. Multiple opposition leaders, journalists, CJP functionaries, and protestors have been detained by cops so far including names like Ratna Singh, MA Baby, Pinarayi Vijayan, and John Brittas among others.

Jantar Mantar, the intended location for the protest, had previously been sealed off by the Delhi Police. All connected roads have been barricaded, with loudspeakers at three key entry-exit points broadcasting warnings in Hindi and English against gatherings, processions, road blockades and other prohibited activities under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).