Participants at the Cockroach Janta Party's 'Lehra Do Tiranga' gathering at Azad Maidan on Friday carried national flags and wore tricolours over their shoulders, while placards directed at the Election Commission were also on display.
Crowd numbers fell below organiser estimates, though the gathering drew a broad mix of participants — neighbourhood residents, campaigners, and public figures among them — who came together to express solidarity with the party's detained leaders and raise questions about the integrity of electoral systems.
The action, convened at the CJP's direction, followed the arrest of party members including founder Abhijeet Dipke and spokesperson Saurav Das during protests unfolding across Delhi. The party called on people to gather at Azad Maidan carrying the national flag, making the Tricolour the focal point of the demonstration, while social activist Anjali Damania — herself taken into custody during the protests — stated that participants intended to fly the country's flag and that nothing would prevent them from doing so.
Draped in the national flag, some demonstrators at Azad Maidan fastened the Tricolour across their shoulders, while a separate group kept it aloft and in motion throughout the gathering. Among those who turned out were younger attendees, standing alongside established activists and political supporters.
People turned out from neighbourhoods scattered across Mumbai, while others made the trip down from Delhi, to lend their support to the campaign.
Humour threaded through the demonstration as well. Banners questioning whether a particular figure could become the next prime minister were displayed alongside placards taking aim at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Two threads ran through the demonstration's signs and slogans: disputed questions over how voter registration lists had been put together, and demands that the Election Commission account for the way it had handled its responsibilities.
Among those who took part, the concerns raised stretched beyond the question of detaining CJP leaders. Those present argued that voting rights lie at the heart of any functioning democracy, and that questions around names being removed from electoral rolls warranted a proper response. Shikha Das, who took part in the protest, expressed concern that holding people accountable would no longer be possible.
Voter-roll removals, according to those who advocate on the issue, cut off access to what many regard as the foundational right from which other civic participation flows.
Alongside a corresponding rally convened in Delhi, the Mumbai event formed one strand of the CJP's broader 'Lehra Do Tiranga' initiative. The party has called on Gyanesh Kumar to vacate his position as Chief Election Commissioner, pointing to what it characterises as procedural irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Responding to accusations of political partiality, the Election Commission stated those claims were without foundation, while also noting that voters removed from rolls in error retain the option to apply for re-registration.
Those who gathered at Azad Maidan were fewer in number than expected, though the presence of both activists and political figures among them was noted. Participants raised national flags both as a show of civic pride and to voice opposition to what they described as threats to democratic freedoms.
