Prakash Raj, Abhijeet Dipke to join rally in Kochi against SIR on Saturday

The Cockroach Janta Party will organise a protest march and public meeting in Kochi on Saturday, 7 November, demanding the withdrawal of the SIR of electoral rolls. CJP founder, Abhijeet Dipke, and actor Prakash Raj are among those expected to attend, organisers said on Friday.

The protest march will begin at Marine Drive at 4 p.m. and proceed to Rajendra Maidan, where a public meeting will be held, they said.

Titled 'Jantar Mantar at Kochi', the event is expected to draw participants, particularly youngsters, from across Kerala, according to CJP activists in Kochi.

Apart from Dipke and Raj, CJP national leader Afreen Nawaz and its South India in-charge Vijay Reddy Mallangi will also participate.

Dipke and Raj on Friday posted videos on social media appealing to people to join the event.

The organisers said the programme was being held to protest against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and demand its withdrawal.

Kochi City Police Special Branch officials said CJP activists had recently met the Kochi City Police Deputy Commissioner to discuss arrangements for the programme.

Although the march was expected to remain peaceful, adequate police personnel would be deployed to prevent any untoward incidents, they added.

It may be recalled that CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were arrested for entering Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, which had been denotified as a protest site by the Delhi Police last month.

Dipke was subsequently detained ahead of a 'Tiranga march' announced by the party in Delhi.

CJP leaders were also recently questioned by the Delhi Police Crime Branch in connection with cases related to protests held in the national capital.