Abhijeet Deepke, founder of India’s Cuckroach Janata Party (CJP), has announced the launch of a ‘Fill the Jails Movement’ starting October 2. The protest is set to begin near Gandhi Jayanti at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. However, Mumbai police have denied permission for the demonstration. Deepke shared this update on the social media platform X, describing the police decision as a tactic to suppress citizens’ voices. Despite the refusal, he vowed to proceed with the protest as planned to frustrate this strategy. Expressing his frustration with Mumbai police, he stated, “Mumbai police have refused our permission for the October 2 protest. Such attempts to silence the people’s voice are completely unacceptable.” He had announced the ‘Fill the Jails Movement’ in a concise post on September 28.
To understand the context behind this movement, one must reference an exclusive investigation report by investigative journalist Ritika Chopra. According to her findings, since October 2025, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign has removed over 130 million voters’ names from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and union territories. This led to serious disagreements among key Election Commission officials. Two out of the three commissioners, Sukhveer Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, formally objected in writing to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s methods and decision-making processes. The CJP alleges that the Election Commission, led by Kumar, has manipulated the voter rolls and compromised impartiality – the core issue fueling their protest.
At a press conference in New Delhi, Abhijeet Deepke accused the Election Commission’s practices of undermining democracy and favoring the ruling party. Alongside other party co-coordinators, he demanded Kumar’s resignation and issued a 48-hour ultimatum. “Over 130 million voter names have been removed from the rolls. This is not a trivial number. Why is this happening? What is the necessity to delete so many votes?” Deepke questioned during the conference. The party has also described Kumar as the biggest threat to Indian democracy, questioning his legitimacy given the alleged disenfranchisement of voting rights.
Deepke further interpreted the Election Commissioner’s actions as an attempt to eliminate political opposition in the country. The CJP had set a September 26 deadline for Kumar’s resignation, but after no response, they announced the protest. Subsequently, Deepke formally applied to Mumbai police to hold a peaceful demonstration at the historic Shivaji Park. The police rejected the request, citing concerns over noise pollution, traffic management, and compliance with an old Bombay High Court order. They designated Shivaji Park as a ‘silence zone,’ emphasizing strict restrictions on large political and public gatherings there to protect public order and environment.
Police also pointed to anticipated heavy traffic congestion and noise disturbances on the public holiday of October 2 around Shivaji Park, as well as their limited capacity to provide security due to other festive and public events. After being denied permission to hold the rally in Shivaji Park, the CJP revised its strategy. Deepke urged supporters to voluntarily turn themselves in at Shivaji Park and nearby police stations despite police obstruction. “If you do not allow us to sit peacefully in the park, then open your jails. On October 2, we will peacefully march towards Shivaji Park and surrender ourselves to the police. Arrest us all,” he declared. Through this Gandhian-style satyagraha using voluntary arrests to fill prisons, the CJP’s primary objective appears to be defending democracy and the impartiality of the Election Commission.
