Guwahati: The Delhi Police have denied permission for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10, citing alleged violations of conditions agreed upon during an earlier demonstration, Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Nupur Prasad said on Friday.
Prasad also said the organisers had approached the police at short notice, whereas applications for protests are ordinarily required to be submitted at least 10 days in advance.
The decision came two days after CJP co-convener Saurav Das submitted an intimation letter to the Delhi Police on October 7, informing them of the planned demonstration and requesting arrangements for law and order and traffic management.
The CJP had maintained that it was informing the police rather than seeking permission, arguing that Jantar Mantar is a designated protest site and that the authorities should facilitate a peaceful gathering. Das submitted the letter at Parliament Street police station and received an acknowledgement, according to the organisers.
The October 10 protest has been called by the CJP and student organisations, including the All India Students’ Association (AISA), as part of their campaign against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The organisers are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, an independent inquiry into alleged irregularities in the revision exercise, and reforms to the process of appointing Election Commissioners.
The proposed demonstration follows a series of protests in Delhi against the SIR exercise and the Chief Election Commissioner. The CJP had also organised a mobilisation in July over the NEET-UG paper leak, which led to confrontations between protesters and security personnel.
Following the July protest, the police stepped up scrutiny of proposed demonstrations. The Crime Branch has registered a fresh FIR to investigate the alleged involvement of 2,873 people with criminal records who were flagged during the July 20 CJP protest. The investigation is also examining whether the violence during the demonstration was pre-planned or whether people with criminal antecedents joined the protest.
The denial comes amid heightened restrictions on demonstrations in central Delhi. Police have said organisers must obtain prior permission for protests at Jantar Mantar, with applications ordinarily submitted at least 10 days in advance.
The SIR exercise has drawn opposition from political parties and student groups over concerns about electoral roll revisions and alleged exclusions. The Election Commission has maintained that the exercise is intended to ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls.