The Mumbai Police have denied the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) permission to hold a protest at Shivaji Park on October 2, citing legal restrictions and concerns over traffic and noise pollution. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke announced on social media that the party would launch a 'Jail Bharo Andolan' in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti if the protest is blocked. The decision follows an investigative report by The Indian Express that highlighted internal dissent within the Election Commission, prompting the CJP to call for nationwide protests.

The police cited a 2013 Bombay High Court order that restricts the use of Shivaji Park for purposes other than sports. They also noted that the organizers had not submitted the required BMC permission for using the ground. The police further stated that the area is a residential and silence zone, and the protest could cause noise pollution and severe traffic congestion, potentially affecting access to several hospitals in the area.

Dipke, in a post on X, said, 'Such tactics to suppress citizens’ voices are unacceptable. If we are denied the right to protest, CJP will launch a Jail Bharo Andolan in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti.' The CJP had previously called for a nationwide protest on October 2 if Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar did not step down by September 26. The protest was intended to highlight alleged issues within the Election Commission, including the condition of schools and election boundary redrawing.

The CJP also alleges that its co-convenor, Ashutosh Ranka, and around 40 volunteers were detained in Assam without being told the reason for the action. Dipke claimed that the group was prevented from holding a meeting with CJP volunteers in Guwahati. Ranka, in a video posted on his X account, alleged that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had ordered the detention because he was 'afraid' of the CJP's plans to highlight the condition of schools in the state.

NCP (SP) spokesperson Anish Gawande supported the CJP's allegations, stating that Ranka and 41 others had been 'illegally and unconstitutionally detained from a private residence when a meet up was scheduled to take place with CJP volunteers.' Gawande alleged that no legal notice had been served on the group and that they had not been informed of the sections imposed against them. He accused the Assam government of creating a 'police state' to intimidate civil society and activists.

The Election Commission has rejected the allegations of dissent within its ranks, reasserting that key decisions, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, were taken unanimously by the full commission. The poll body maintains that differing views and observations are a normal part of institutional deliberations and that its orders have full legal sanction and follow statutory procedures.

What remains unknown is the exact nature of the alleged dissent within the Election Commission and the legal basis for the Assam police detention of Ranka and the volunteers. The CJP's threat to launch a Jail Bharo Andolan has not been substantiated by any official statement or legal action, and the potential impact of such an action on public order and legal procedures remains unclear.