Dhruv Rathee, Prakash Raj join CJP’s Bengaluru protest over SIR, demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

Actor-activist Prakash Raj and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee joined the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on Thursday, where demonstrators demanded that the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls be scrapped and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign.

The protest was organised under the banner of a “People’s Tribunal” to highlight alleged irregularities in the revision of voter lists. It was led by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and is scheduled to be followed by a “chappal protest”.

Protesters raised slogans including “SIR radd karo” and “Gyanesh Kumar gaddi chhodo”. Participants included women, students and representatives of civil-society groups.
Addressing the gathering, Prakash Raj alleged that the SIR exercise had insulted voters and led to the exclusion of eligible citizens.

“They have insulted the voters of the country. It is only once in five years that politicians come pleading for our votes. Now we are being made to beg in front of their offices for our votes,” he said.
Prakash Raj alleged that Adivasis, poor people, Muslims and other minorities had been denied their voting rights. He said the issue was not limited to Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

“If he goes, someone else will come,” he said, while demanding that the SIR exercise be scrapped and that Kumar face an investigation and legal action.
The actor-activist also alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner was acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. These claims have not been independently verified.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the protest was aimed at reclaiming people’s democratic rights. Referring to alleged voter deletions, he claimed that millions of names were being removed from electoral rolls. The figure and allegation could not be independently verified.
“Modi may have power, but we have the streets. We will reclaim our power from here,” Dipke told the protesters.
Dhruv Rathee accused the Election Commission of having “zero transparency” and “zero accountability”. He also clarified that he had not joined the protest to call for a change in government.
“I have not come here for regime change,” Rathee said.

The CJP has also announced a women’s solidarity march and asked participants to bring their own slippers. According to the organisers, the slippers will later be donated to people in need.

The Bengaluru event is the first leg of a wider campaign. The CJP has called on supporters from across the country to gather at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10. Student and youth organisations, political groups and citizens are expected to join the protest against the Election Commission over alleged voter deletions.
CJP co-convenor Saurav Das said the campaign’s demands go beyond the removal of one office-holder. “We will demand systemic reforms, not just the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar,” he said.