Police kept close watch for anti-social elements, Maharashtra minister Pankaj Bhoyar on CJP protest

Maharashtra minister of state for home Pankaj Bhoyar on Saturday said police kept a close watch on the Cockroach Janata Party’s protest against the Election Commission (EC) in Mumbai on Friday to prevent any anti-social elements from disrupting law and order.

More than 10,000 people, predominantly young protesters, including Gen Z participants, gathered at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Friday for the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protest, held despite the police denying permission, was marked by slogans against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and demands for Kumar’s resignation. The gathering included student groups and prominent personalities such as actors Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah and singer Vishal Dadlani.

Bhoyar said that anti-social elements always try to disrupt peace in the city or the state, but the police administration was maintaining a strict vigil on such elements and their activities.

“I do not think anybody will try to indulge in such anti-social activities. If anybody is found to be involved in disrupting law and order, the police will thwart such an attempt,” he said in Nagpur.

Addressing the gathering, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the Shivaji Park protest was the beginning of a wider agitation and warned of a “Jantar Mantar 2.0” if the CEC did not resign. He said the movement would be backed by youth and Gen Z and would spread to other cities before culminating in Delhi.

Dipke’s demands include the resignation of Kumar, a criminal case against him and the rollback of the SIR exercise, while the Election Commission has defended the revision process and modified it to reduce inconvenience to voters.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress too has attacked the BJP government and ECI over alleged irregularities in the electoral system. “The ECI has deleted the names of certain religion from the electoral roll. Not only Gyanesh Kumar, but even PM Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah shoudl resign,” demanded Congress leader Nana Patole.