Security tightened at Shivaji Park ahead of CJP protest against CEC
Security tightened around Mumbai's Shivaji Park on Friday as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) prepared to hold a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, despite police denying permission for the demonstration.
Police and railway authorities deployed personnel around Dadar station and the iconic ground in central Mumbai ahead of the proposed 4 pm protest.
A police contingent, including women personnel, along with security teams from other agencies, have been stationed at strategic locations to prevent any untoward incident, an official said.
Barricades have also been erected at major entry points leading to Shivaji Park, the official said.
Residents in the area opposed the proposed demonstration, with one local saying the protest was disrupting the peace and daily life of the neighbourhood.
Police officials said they were closely monitoring the situation to maintain law and order and ensure that traffic movement in the surrounding Dadar area remained unaffected.
Earlier in the day, CJP convenor Abhjeet Dipke paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi's statue in south Mumbai on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
The CJP has demanded transparency in the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and called for the 2025 voter list to be frozen, saying it should not be "tampered with further".
The party announced the protest demanding Kumar's resignation following media reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Some of the decisions, they reportedly said, were issued without their knowledge.
The Election Commission later said that the three-member poll panel had taken all decisions, including those related to the SIR, unanimously. (with inputs from PTI)
