‘Why is Gyanesh Kumar so important to Modi?’ CJP’s Dipke asks at press meet

• CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleges voter deletions are intended to influence elections and questions the government’s protection of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

• Student leaders accuse police of suppressing dissent and mistreating journalists amid the crackdown on anti-CEC protests.

• CJP calls for a tricolour march at Connaught Place on 16 October as Delhi High Court records police assurances on regulating the gathering.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday, 15 October accused the Narendra Modi government of protecting chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid allegations of electoral-roll manipulation, questioning whether the deletion of over 13 crore voters’ names was a “setting” to influence election outcomes.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi alongside All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora, Students’ Federation of India (SFI) leader Aishe Ghosh, All India Students’ Federation (AISF) national president Viraaj Devang and actor-activist Prakash Raj, Dipke also accused the government of imposing extraordinary restrictions in the national capital to prevent people from joining protests demanding Kumar’s resignation.

“You have even called unfurling the tricolour a violation of law. For whom? For Gyanesh Kumar? What is Gyanesh Kumar giving Narendra Modi? You have brought Delhi to a standstill, shut down the Railways, shut down the Metro and turned Delhi into a border, like the India-Pakistan border,” Dipke said.

“You have called in all the forces to Delhi. Student organisations have been dragged, the Opposition has been dragged, and former chief ministers have been dragged through the streets. All this for one Gyanesh Kumar? Why is Gyanesh Kumar so important to Narendra Modi? Why should we not believe that Gyanesh Kumar is helping Narendra Modi win elections? If he is not helping him win elections, why is Narendra Modi providing him with so much protection?” he asked.

The remarks came amid a security clampdown in Delhi following the CJP’s October 10 protest call and a continuing legal dispute over the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. The Supreme Court on Thursday heard petitions concerning the restrictions on protests, alleged police excesses and the revision of electoral rolls.

The Delhi High Court, meanwhile, declined to restrain the CJP’s proposed demonstration at Connaught Place on Friday, recording Delhi Police’s assurance that it would take lawful measures to regulate the gathering.

‘Over 13 crore voters deleted’

Questioning the deletions against the backdrop of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Dipke asked whether the exercise was intended to influence electoral outcomes. “The margin of victory in 2024 was just 2 per cent. Over 13 crore voters deleted,” he said. “Where 2 per cent is deciding the election, you are deleting 13 crore votes. What is this if not a setting?”

The BJP won 240 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats in 2024, with 36.56 per cent of the votes polled, while the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance secured 293 seats to form the government.

The figure of over 13 crore deletions was cited by Dipke in the context of allegations surrounding the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He also criticised the slogan of ‘One Nation, One Election’, alleging that the government’s actual political objective was different. “‘One Nation, One Election’ was a slogan. The real intention is ‘One Nation, One Party, One Leader’,” he said.

He accused the authorities of targeting protesters carrying the national flag, asking when displaying the tricolour had become a crime. “Those who never embraced the tricolour are attacking it. Our comrades were walking in Connaught Place with the tricolour and have all been detained. When did holding the tiranga become a crime?” he asked.

Dipke also said the protests would continue despite the restrictions and appealed to political parties, student organisations, farmers’ unions and citizens to join the movement. “(Narendra) Modi cannot be bigger than (Mahatma) Gandhi and (Jawaharlal) Nehru,” he added.

CJP calls for tricolour march on Friday

The press conference came a day before the CJP’s proposed ‘Lehra do Tiranga’ march at Central Park in Connaught Place at 5.00 pm on Friday, 16 October. Dipke urged citizens to assemble with the national flag and called on people unable to travel to Delhi to organise similar marches in their own cities.

The announcement followed the detention and subsequent judicial custody of CJP co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The two were sent to five days of judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail after being accused of entering Jantar Mantar without authorisation and violating their peace bonds. Their associate Ajinkya Shinde was also detained but was released on a personal bond and surety, according to police.

The CJP has maintained that the action against its leaders was linked to their attempt to protest while carrying the tricolour. The police have cited the alleged breach of restrictions and concerns over public order.

Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to pass an order restraining the proposed Connaught Place demonstration. It recorded Delhi Police’s assurance that all possible legal measures would be taken to regulate the gathering and listed the matter for further hearing on 3 November. The petition had been filed by a Palika Bazar street vendor who raised concerns about traffic disruption, business losses and the livelihood of traders.

Delhi Police had also planned a high-level security meeting ahead of Friday’s march. Officials were considering crowd management, traffic arrangements and the enforcement of prohibitory orders in central Delhi. Police had sought an extension of the deployment of 273 companies of Central Armed Police Forces in the capital until 20 October, citing the possibility of further protests.

Student leaders accuse police of targeting dissent

AISA president Neha Bora alleged that the police had targeted journalists covering the protests, detaining them despite their press credentials and confiscating their equipment.

She expressed solidarity with journalists who were allegedly detained while covering the demonstrations and claimed that reporters from The Caravan and The Quint had been beaten and held for hours despite carrying press cards. She also alleged that cameras had been snatched and journalists warned against reporting on the protests.

Bora referred to an alleged sexual harassment incident involving a woman journalist and accused the authorities of registering a counter-FIR against the complainant. She said the police were using force against people raising concerns about electoral rights instead of ensuring law and order.

“Police, instead of maintaining law and order, crack down on the public. This is a classic example of what we have seen,” she said. “You send the voice supporting the right to vote to jail. When you drag common people, you are dragging those 13 crore people.”

The allegations concerning the treatment of journalists and the sexual harassment complaint have also figured in the legal proceedings relating to the protests.

Ghosh invokes democracy, Bhandari case

SFI leader Aishe Ghosh urged citizens to unite to defend democracy, saying she placed her faith in the people rather than the ruling BJP.

“Gyanesh has helped them win the whole country,” she alleged. “We don't have hopes with the BJP, we have hopes with our citizens. It is time for all of us to unite. The country for which Bhagat Singh fought and Gandhi sacrificed, we have to save this country.”

Ghosh also referred to the treatment of the parents of Ankita Bhandari, a resort receptionist who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, alleging that they had been dragged and treated brutally. Criticising what she described as the impunity enjoyed by people accused of serious crimes, she said, “Rapists are being garlanded.”

AISF president Viraaj Devang also criticised the government over the restrictions, while actor-activist Prakash Raj was among those present at the press conference in support of the protest movement.

Press conference briefly disrupted

The press conference was briefly disrupted when a reporter allegedly interrupted Bora while she was speaking, and began shouting. The situation escalated, with people heard demanding that the disruption stop and the individual leave. Bora asked the organisers to have those disrupting the event escorted out.

The incident came amid competing allegations over the conduct of journalists, protesters and police personnel during the demonstrations.