CJP announces anti-SIR protest in Kochi on Nov 7, renews demand for CEC's removal

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Thursday announced a protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kochi, Kerala, on November 7, renewing its demand for the cancellation of the exercise and the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Titled ‘Jantar Mantar at Kochi’, the demonstration will be held at Rajendra Maidan from 4 pm. The party announced the protest in a post on X with the slogan, “Save Democracy! Cancel SIR!”

CJP founder and national convenor Abhijeet Dipke will attend the demonstration along with the party’s south zone leader Vijay Mallangi and national secretary Aafreen Nawaz.

The announcement comes weeks after CJP leaders faced police action in Delhi while attempting to organise protests against Kumar and the SIR exercise.

Dipke, along with CJP co-convenors Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, was detained by Delhi Police in October while attempting to stage a demonstration at Jantar Mantar without permission.

The government subsequently denotified Jantar Mantar as a protest site. Das and Ranka were later arrested after allegedly entering the restricted area and waving the national flag in protest against the denotification. They spent around a week in judicial custody before being released on October 21.