MUMBAI: As the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) began its ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Friday, demanding chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, party chief Abhijeet Dipke contrasted the police response in Mumbai with the clashes and crackdown that marked the party’s Parliament march in Delhi in July this year.Calling the Mumbai Police “cute”, Dipke sought to draw parallels between the police response in Mumbai and the treatment meted out to the party’s supporters during its Jantar Mantar protest against Dharmendra Pradhan.“Mumbai Police was ordered to pick me up. But Mumbai Police is so cute, they offered tea and told me to go. Whereas in Delhi, DCP Sachin Sharma is a monster,” the activist said, adding, “DCP Sachin Sharma is Amit Shah’s General Dyer.”The remarks came as CJP activists and civil society organisations gathered at Shivaji Park to protest against the Election Commission and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.Heavy police deployment was put in place at the venue.CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said the Mumbai protest marked the beginning of a “very big” nationwide agitation seeking the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar.He appealed to Mumbai residents to join the protest and said the city was the starting point for the campaign.The activist’s reference to Delhi was to the CJP’s July 20 Parliament march, when thousands of protesters attempting to move from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament pushed through police barricades near Patel Chowk and Mandi House.Delhi Police used baton charges and tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, while police detained several protesters.The protest also led to stone-pelting by some demonstrators, according to eyewitness accounts cited by PTI, and brought parts of central Delhi to a standstill.Rajiv Chowk, Janpath, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat and Seva Teerth Metro stations were shut due to security concerns, leaving commuters stranded. Major roads around Parliament Street, Janpath, Connaught Place and India Gate also witnessed heavy congestion.In Mumbai, meanwhile, the protest proceeded amid heavy police deployment at Shivaji Park.Bollywood celebrities such as Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Vishal Dadlani have been actively seen taking part in the protest, supporting the CJP at the Jantar Mantar protest.Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis criticised the agitation, saying the “fake narrative” being pushed against the Election Commission had been “busted” following the press conference of the three Election commissioners.The Mumbai protest also drew objections from some Shivaji Park residents, who cited inconvenience to locals, traffic disruption and the proximity of schools and a hospital to the venue.
