New Delhi: YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor-activist Prakash Raj joined CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke at a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on Thursday.
The demonstration focused on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with protesters demanding that the exercise be scrapped and that Gyanesh Kumar resign over alleged irregularities.
The protest was organised as a “People’s Tribunal”, with participants claiming to have been affected by the electoral-roll revision sharing their concerns.
Why Did Dhruv Rathee And Prakash Raj Join The Protest?
Rathee and Prakash Raj joined Dipke and other CJP members at the Bengaluru demonstration, bringing two high-profile public figures into the campaign against the SIR exercise.
Rathee said he had not come to the protest for “regime change” and alleged that there was “zero transparency” and “zero accountability” from the Election Commission over the SIR process.
Prakash Raj, meanwhile, demanded that the SIR exercise be scrapped.
He alleged that the exercise was not simply about deletion of votes but concerned the dignity and rights of citizens. He also alleged that CEC Gyanesh Kumar was acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. These were allegations made by Raj at the protest and have not been independently established.
What Happened At Bengaluru’s Freedom Park?
The protest drew women, students and other members of the public, with demonstrators raising slogans against the SIR exercise and demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Placards displayed slogans including “Error 404 – Name Not Found”, “Gyanesh, it’s done bro” and “Don’t erase us, hear us”. Other slogans included calls to scrap SIR and accusations of “vote theft”.
The gathering was held under the banner of a “People’s Tribunal”, where people who said they had been affected by the electoral-roll revision were given a platform to share their experiences.
What Did Abhijeet Dipke Say?
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke accused the Narendra Modi government of “murdering democracy” and alleged “vote theft” over the SIR process.
He said the agitation would continue until Gyanesh Kumar resigned.
Dipke’s remarks were part of the organisers’ broader criticism of the Election Commission and the electoral-roll revision process. The allegations remain claims made by the protesters.
What Is The SIR Controversy?
The Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, involves a detailed revision of electoral rolls.
The Bengaluru protest centred on allegations that eligible voters had been wrongly removed from the rolls or faced difficulties during the verification process.
Protest organisers said the “People’s Tribunal” was intended to hear from people who claimed to have been affected by such deletions
The Election Commission has faced criticism from opposition parties and civil society groups over aspects of the exercise, while supporters of the revision have defended the process and its electoral-roll verification objectives.
What Slogans Were Raised Against Gyanesh Kumar?
The protest featured several slogans aimed directly at the Chief Election Commissioner.
“Gyanesh Kumar gaddi choro” and “SIR radd karo” were among the slogans reported from the demonstration. Posters also carried messages such as “Error 404 – Name Not Found” and “Grand Theft Democracy”.
The slogans reflected protesters’ central demands: scrapping the SIR exercise and seeking Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
What Is The ‘Chappal Protest’?
The CJP’s Bengaluru programme also included a planned “Chappal protest”.
According to organisers, it was intended as a show of solidarity with women and was scheduled to follow the People’s Tribunal.
The Bengaluru demonstration comes ahead of another CJP protest planned in Delhi, keeping the organisation’s campaign against the SIR process in focus.
