Jantar Mantar @ Kochi: Hundreds take to streets in anti-SIR protest; Prakash Raj, Dipke join event

Kochi: Hundreds of youth, civil rights activists and citizens took to the streets of Kochi on Saturday afternoon as the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) ‘Jantar Mantar @ Kochi’ protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls got underway. Actor-activist Prakash Raj led a march from Marine Drive to Rajendra Maidan, with protesters demanding the cancellation of SIR and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The protesters waved national flags and raised slogans against the Election Commission, while youth coordinators carried prominent banners reading slogans like ‘Cancel SIR’ and ‘Resign Gyanesh Kumar’.

The procession reached Rajendra Maidan shortly after 4 pm, where a large gathering had assembled for the public meeting. Prakash Raj, who arrived in Kochi earlier in the day, joined the march and later the gathering at the venue.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also arrived in Kochi to participate in the protest. He landed at Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery around 3.30 pm after his flight was delayed and headed straight to the venue to address the gathering.

Dipke targets Election Commission
Speaking to the media at the airport, Dipke said the agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar would continue until an independent and impartial electoral system was established in the country.

“It’s a people’s protest and I’m here on the invitation of the organisers and on the invitation of Prakash Raj sir. The fight against Gyanesh Kumar will continue until we get an independent and impartial election system in India. That is very necessary because under Gyanesh Kumar, the elections cannot be trusted; they are being rigged only to help one party. From our database, I can definitely tell you that the largest number of registered members of the Cockroach Janta Party are from Kerala,” he said.

The Kochi demonstration marks the CJP’s first major public protest in South India, bringing its agitation against the Election Commission from the national capital to Kerala. The mobilisation follows the detention of CJP leaders and volunteers during their protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar last month.

Police personnel have been deployed across central Kochi as the public meeting gets underway at Rajendra Maidan.