New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das will arrive at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Saturday morning to lead a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, the organisation said on Friday.
The CJP leaders also condemned the alleged detention of people travelling to the capital for the demonstration.
In a statement, CJP alleged that 15-30 students and members travelling from Pune were forced to deboard the Goa Express at Itarsi Junction in Madhya Pradesh and detained by police and Government Railway Police personnel.
The organisation also said activists travelling from West Bengal, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh had been intercepted. In Rajasthan, CJP spokesperson Deepak Baliyan and his brother were allegedly assaulted by police, leaving them seriously injured, it claimed.
CJP alleged that some detainees were being sent back to their home states against their wishes and pressured to sign good-behaviour bonds to prevent them from joining the protest. It demanded their immediate release and safe passage for those travelling to Delhi.
The organisation also condemned reported train cancellations, metro station closures and a temporary suspension of mobile internet services in parts of central Delhi, describing the restrictions as an assault on democratic rights.
“Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar did not seek the permission of citizens before using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to delete names from voter rolls. If the state can carry out such a massive deletion of voting rights without accountability, why must citizens beg for permission to exercise their fundamental right to dissent?” Dipke said.
In a video message late at night, Dipke said Saturday’s protest in Delhi should not stop even if he was detained.
“Tomorrow is our march. I don’t know what will happen to me, whether I will be arrested from the airport or will be later arrested. I will not be cowed down because we want to save the democracy in the country. I am not scared even if I am detained. The government can slap us with NSA or UAPA,” Dipke said.
The National Security Act (NSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) are considered to be stringent criminal laws.
The CJP wants free and fair polls and that cannot happen without CEC Kumar’s resignation or scrapping of SIR or framing of a neutral procedure to appoint election commissioner, Dipke said.
The October 10 protest seeks Kumar’s resignation over alleged electoral irregularities and concerns surrounding the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls. CJP has also demanded the reinstatement of voters whose names were wrongfully deleted and greater transparency in the revision process. PTI AO NB
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