Cockroach Janta Party gives Delhi Police notice for Oct 10 protest against CEC

The Cockroach Janta Party has formally informed the Delhi Police about its proposed October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and reforms in the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The pressure group’s co-convener, Saurav Das, submitted a letter at the Parliament Street police station on Wednesday, saying a large number of people were expected to join the demonstration under its “Dilli Chalo” call.

“We informed them that the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ and the youth of the entire nation, all these ‘cockroaches’, are set to gather at Jantar Mantar on October 10,” Das told reporters. He said the group had requested the police to maintain law and order, cooperate with the protesters and make the necessary traffic arrangements.

Das said the group had received an acknowledgement from the police and had completed the required formalities, including submitting an undertaking.

Urging people to join the protest, he said the campaign would continue even if Kumar resigned, as the group was seeking wider institutional reforms.

“Even if Gyanesh Kumar resigns, we will not bow down. We want proper reforms in the Election Commission,” Das said, adding that the group wanted the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls frozen and alleged irregular decisions during the exercise investigated. He also called for Kumar’s arrest, allegations that have not been established through any judicial finding.

All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora said student organisations, opposition parties and other groups would join the October 10 demonstration, arguing that a broader mobilisation would strengthen the campaign.

She accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Election Commission of working together over the SIR exercise and appealed to people to distance themselves from the BJP.

“If there was a time to desert the BJP, it is now,” Bora said, urging people to join the protest.

The proposed demonstration comes amid an escalating campaign by opposition parties and civil society groups against the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise and reports of differences within the poll body.

The Election Commission has rejected suggestions of an internal split, maintaining that decisions relating to the SIR were taken unanimously. The Supreme Court has said it will examine records concerning alleged changes to voter enrolment procedures and whether the statutory requirements governing the Commission’s functioning were followed.