Actor-activist Prakash Raj and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee joined the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on Thursday over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The protesters also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The CJP organised a “People’s Tribunal” at the venue, where people who claimed to have faced problems during the voter-list revision process shared their experiences. Protesters raised slogans demanding that the SIR exercise be scrapped and questioned the Election Commission’s handling of the revision process.
Prakash Raj, while addressing the gathering, called for the SIR exercise to be withdrawn. He said the protest was not only about the Chief Election Commissioner but also about what he described as concerns over citizens’ voting rights.
Dhruv Rathee also spoke at the protest and described the gathering as an effort to raise concerns about the electoral process. He said he was not participating in the protest with the aim of bringing about a change of government.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the People’s Tribunal was intended to provide a platform for people who claimed their names had been wrongly removed or marked as shifted or absent in voter lists. The allegations raised at the event concern the SIR process and are being presented by the protesters.
The protest also included slogans against Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission. Videos and reports from the venue showed Prakash Raj, Rathee and CJP leaders sharing the stage as supporters gathered at Freedom Park. After the People’s Tribunal, organisers planned a symbolic “chappal protest” as part of the programme. The CJP has also announced another demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10.
The Bengaluru protest is part of a series of demonstrations by the group over the SIR exercise and demands concerning the Election Commission.
