CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said Mumbai Police denied permission for a protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. He threatened a 'Jail Bharo Andolan' on Oct 2. Police clarified the venue is a 'silence zone' and advised finding an alternate location.

CJP Threatens 'Jail Bharo Andolan'

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday claimed that Mumbai Police has denied permission for the pressure group's proposed protest on October 2 amid the ongoing row over the Election Commission, and announced that CJP would launch a "Jail Bharo Andolan" in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti if the right to protest is denied.

The protest was originally planned as part of a demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. "Mumbai Police has also denied permission for our protest on 2nd October. Such tactics to suppress citizens' voices are unacceptable. If we are denied the right to protest, CJP will launch a Jail Bharo Andolan in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti," Dipke said on X. Jail Bharo Andolan is a form of protest where large numbers of people voluntarily court arrest to overwhelm and overcrowd the local prison system to highlight their cause.

Mumbai Police Cites High Court Order

Following Dipke's post, Mumbai Police clarified that it is "not empowered to grant permission" for any gathering at Shivaji Park in accordance with the judgement of the Bombay High Court 2013 order. Their clarification states that the area is a "silence zone". "It has been explained to applicant Mr Ajinkya Shinde, and he has also been advised to look for alternate venues in Mumbai City for the protest and ask for permission, which will be considered in an appropriate manner," the police said on X.

Row Over Election Commission's Functioning

On September 25, Dipke had said, "If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, CJP will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on 2 October, and take it to cities across India. This Gandhi Jayanti, let's pledge to save democracy." His remarks come amid mounting criticism from Opposition parties over the functioning of the poll panel following an investigative report by The Indian Express, which said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions and procedures related to the SIR exercise.

The report said the two Election Commissioners had raised objections over certain decisions and orders issued without their knowledge. The ECI, however, has rejected allegations of disagreement over its SIR decisions, maintaining that decisions related to the exercise were taken with the “unanimous approval of the Commission”. The poll body also clarified that a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary concerned the functioning of an officer on deputation and was not related to any policy matter of the Commission or its IT division.

Allegations Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Abhijeet Dipke had earlier demanded the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that more than 13 crore votes had been deleted and questioning whether such action was consistent with democracy. Dipke alleged that Kumar posed a threat to India’s democracy and claimed that the government was deciding who gets to vote and who does not since Kumar became Chief Election Commissioner.

“In total, more than 13 crore votes have been deleted. This is not a small number,” Dipke said, adding that the alleged deletion amounted to around 13-14 per cent of the total votes. (ANI)

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