Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke has alleged that police in Maharashtra are issuing notices to party activists and attempting to discourage them from travelling to Delhi for a proposed protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10.
Dipke claimed that Chandrapur police questioned CJP volunteers about the source of funds for their travel and advised them against participating in the demonstration, which has been called to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Taking to social media, Dipke alleged that police notices warned that the protest could turn violent. “Maharashtra Police is sending notices to CJP volunteers asking for their Delhi travel expenses and threatening that the protest could turn violent,” he said, questioning how authorities could anticipate violence at an event the organisers have described as peaceful.
At a press conference in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dipke described the alleged police intervention as “dictatorship” and questioned the rationale behind asking Maharashtra-based activists about their travel plans to Delhi.
“Why is the Maharashtra Police behaving like Delhi Police? What do they have to do if a person is going to Delhi from Chandrapur in Maharashtra?” Dipke asked. He also questioned why police were concerned about individuals purchasing train or other travel tickets to attend the protest.
Dipke further objected to alleged instructions concerning social media posts that could potentially lead to violence. “We speak about Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar. Do they think it is violent?” he asked.
The October 10 demonstration is part of CJP’s campaign seeking Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation amid protests over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Election Commission has rejected suggestions of differences within the three-member poll panel and maintained that decisions concerning SIR were taken unanimously.
Dipke had earlier announced the Delhi demonstration following a CJP protest in Mumbai on October 2. The group has described the upcoming mobilisation as a fresh push against what it alleges are irregularities in the electoral-roll revision process.
