Mumbai police have granted the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) permission to hold its “Lehra Do Tiranga” rally at Azad Maidan on Friday, October 16, allowing the party to stage a demonstration in support of its leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who were sent to five-day judicial custody following a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
However, the permission is restricted to Azad Maidan, a designated protest venue, with the rally scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The approval in Mumbai contrasts with the restrictions facing the party in New Delhi, where authorities have tightened security around Connaught Place ahead of a proposed Tiranga march. The CJP has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, turning the dispute into a wider confrontation over electoral accountability, protest rights and the policing of demonstrations.
Arrest of Das and Ranka Triggers Fresh Row
The arrests of Ranka and Das followed their alleged entry into Jantar Mantar, where they raised slogans demanding Kumar’s resignation. The Union Home Ministry had withdrawn Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest site a day before the incident. The two leaders were subsequently sent to judicial custody on Wednesday, according to reports published on October 15 and 16.
In Mumbai, police said the organisers had agreed to confine the demonstration to Azad Maidan. The decision allows the protest to proceed at an officially designated site while keeping it separate from public roads and other areas. The party has appealed to supporters to bring the national flag to the gathering.
The Delhi administration, meanwhile, has taken a more restrictive approach. The New Delhi Municipal Council has announced that Central Park in Connaught Place will remain closed on October 16 and 17, citing administrative reasons. Police have invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in the area, imposing restrictions intended to prevent gatherings that could threaten public order.
More than 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel have reportedly been deployed in the capital ahead of the proposed demonstration, with CCTV surveillance and additional security measures around Central Park and Rajiv Chowk. Police have also warned against unauthorised gatherings, while indicating that any permitted activity would be subject to restrictions. The arrangements have raised concerns among local traders about disruption to commercial activity in one of Delhi’s busiest shopping districts.
SIR Turns Sour
The political dispute is rooted in the CJP’s opposition to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The exercise has become a contentious issue in Indian politics, with critics questioning its implementation and potential effects on voters, while election authorities maintain that electoral roll revision is necessary to improve accuracy and remove ineligible entries.
The party’s campaign has increasingly centred on the national flag as a symbol of its claim that peaceful protest and political dissent are democratic rights. Its immediate demand is linked to the arrests of its leaders, but its broader political challenge concerns the space available for demonstrations against constitutional authorities.
The contrasting decisions in Mumbai and Delhi highlight how the location and legal status of a protest site can determine whether a demonstration proceeds. Mumbai police have authorised a time-bound rally at a designated ground, while Delhi authorities have restricted access to the proposed venue and strengthened security around the capital’s commercial centre.
The immediate test for the CJP is whether it can mobilise supporters while complying with police conditions.