CJP Bengaluru Protest: Dhruv Rathee, Prakash Raj Join Rally Over SIR
The Cockroach Janta Party held a protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, with Dhruv Rathee and Prakash Raj joining calls to scrap SIR and demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) held a protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on Thursday, bringing together activists, students, civil society groups and public figures over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor-activist Prakash Raj joined the demonstration, where protesters demanded that SIR be scrapped and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the agitation would continue until the CEC steps down and called for an investigation into Kumar.
The protest began with a “People’s Tribunal on the SIR”, where people who said they had been removed from electoral rolls were expected to share their experiences. Protesters also displayed posters with slogans including “Error 404 - Name Not Found” and “Don’t erase us, hear us”.
Rathee questioned the Election Commission’s transparency and accountability while saying he had not joined the protest for “regime change”. Prakash Raj alleged that the SIR exercise undermined citizens’ rights and demanded its withdrawal.
The CJP also criticised the “One Nation, One Election” slogan, alleging that its real objective was “One Nation, One Party”.
The Bengaluru protest comes amid wider Opposition mobilisation against the SIR exercise. Congress and INDIA bloc leaders have also staged demonstrations in Delhi demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
The CJP is planning another demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10, keeping the electoral-roll revision firmly in the political spotlight.
