Mumbai, Oct 2 (PTI) Security forces were deployed in large numbers around Shivaji Park on Friday as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) prepared to launch a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, despite the police denying permission for the agitation.
Police and railway authorities have deployed forces around Dadar station and the iconic ground in central Mumbai ahead of the proposed 4 pm demonstration.
A police contingent, including women personnel, alongside security teams from other agencies, have been stationed at strategic locations to prevent any untoward incident, an official said.
Extensive barricading has also been erected across major entry points leading to Shivaji Park, he said.
Residents of the area have voiced strong opposition to the demonstration taking place in their neighbourhood.
“The planned protest is disrupting the peace and daily life in our area. They are attempting to carry this out forcefully, and such protests should not be permitted in a residential zone,” a local said.
Police officials said they are closely monitoring the situation to maintain law and order and ensure traffic movement in the surrounding Dadar area remains unaffected.
Earlier in the day, CJP convenor Abhjeet Dipke paid floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in south Mumbai to mark the birth anniversary of the father of the nation.
The CJP has demanded transparency in the appointment of the CEC and called for freezing of the 2025 voter list, saying it should not be “tampered with further”.
The CJP announced its protest demanding CEC Kumar’s resignation after recent media reports found that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls, some of which they said were issued without their knowledge.
The Election Commission later clarified that the three-member commission took all decisions, including those relating to the SIR, unanimously. PTI PR ARU
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