CJP protest: Actor Imran Khan detained over demand for India poll chief’s resignation

Bollywood actor Imran Khan was detained by Mumbai Police on Saturday, October 10, at August Kranti Maidan, the proposed venue for a demonstration in support of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest call, media reports said.

Mumbai Police said permission had not been sought for the demonstration and that they could not grant approval because Bombay High Court directions allow protests only at Azad Maidan.

Police detained several demonstrators at August Kranti Maidan and took them to a police station in vehicles. Many of those detained were senior citizens, who questioned the police action. Officers were also seen asking protesters why they had gathered at the venue and checking their documents.

Meanwhile, nearly 1,500 people were detained in New Delhi on Saturday in connection with the CJP’s planned protest at Jantar Mantar, police said.

Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and All India Students’ Association (AISA) member Neha Bora were among those reported to have been detained in the national capital.

The protest campaign has called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations surrounding the Election Commission of India’s voter-roll revision exercise. The commission has rejected allegations of impropriety, saying the revision aims to remove duplicate and ineligible voters.

The Mumbai demonstration came amid a wider mobilisation against the Election Commission of India (ECI) and its voter-roll revision exercise, with hundreds of protesters gathering in New Delhi despite a heavy security presence.

The satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has been leading the campaign, said its founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other leaders were detained before they could leave an aircraft in the capital. The group alleged that they were taken to an undisclosed location and denied access to lawyers and contact with others.

In New Delhi, police detained demonstrators who attempted to march towards Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site. Authorities also imposed restrictions around the capital, deploying police and paramilitary personnel to prevent protesters from reaching the venue.

The protests follow allegations of irregularities in the ECI’s nationwide voter-roll revision exercise. Opposition parties and critics have raised concerns that the process could remove legitimate voters from electoral lists and disproportionately affect marginalised and minority communities.