New Delhi, Oct. 5 -- Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convener Saurav Das has alleged that the government is planning to arrest him and other senior members of the organisation ahead of its October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. In a post on social media, Das named CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, co-conveners Ashutosh Ranka and Ratna Singh among those he claimed could be arrested. He did not provide any evidence or details to substantiate the allegation.
Das said the CJP would continue its campaign even if its leaders were detained. He appealed to supporters to continue raising issues concerning their rights and future and said the organisation was prepared to face arrest. The allegation comes days after the CJP held a large protest at Mumbai's Shivaji Park, where participants demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The CJP has announced that it will hold another demonstration at Jantar Mantar on October 10 if Kumar does not resign. Dipke has said the demonstration will remain peaceful and has appealed to people supporting free and fair elections to participate.
The organisation's October 10 call follows its October 2 demonstration in Mumbai, where thousands of people gathered at Shivaji Park. Dipke, Ranka and Das addressed the gathering, while participants raised slogans against the Chief Election Commissioner. The CJP has alleged that large-scale voter deletions took place during electoral-roll revisions and has demanded Kumar's resignation, among other measures. These allegations have been made by the organisation and remain part of the wider political dispute surrounding the SIR exercise.
The Election Commission has rejected allegations of internal disagreement over major SIR decisions and has maintained that decisions of the full commission were taken unanimously. The CJP's October 10 protest is expected to be the group's next major demonstration in Delhi, with its leaders continuing to call for action against the Chief Election Commissioner.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.