Abhijeet Dipke, Prakash Raj to join CJP's Kochi rally against electoral roll revision

Kochi: The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) will hold a protest march and public meeting in Kochi on Saturday, demanding the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party's founder, Abhijeet Dipke, and actor Prakash Raj are among those expected to attend, organisers said on Friday.

The march will begin at Marine Drive at 4 pm and proceed to Rajendra Maidan, where a public meeting will be held. Titled 'Jantar Mantar at Kochi', the event is expected to draw participants, particularly youngsters, from across Keralam, according to CJP activists in Kochi. Besides Dipke and Prakash Raj, CJP national leader Afreen Nawaz and its South India in-charge Vijay Reddy Mallangi will also take part.

Dipke and Prakash Raj shared videos on social media on Friday, appealing to people to participate in 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 Deputy Commissioner of Kochi City Police to discuss arrangements for the event. Although the march is expected to remain peaceful, adequate police personnel will be deployed to prevent any untoward incidents, they added.

The CJP has recently faced police action over its protests in New Delhi. Party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were arrested for entering Jantar Mantar, 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.