The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had called for a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. However, the planned demonstration was preceded by heightened security across the national capital and the detention of several CJP leaders. Meanwhile, several celebrities have voiced their support for the protesters, with actor Richa Chadha sharing a ‘hack’ to avoid facial recognition.
Richa Chadha shares ‘hack’ to avoid facial recognition
Ahead of the protest, Richa Chadha shared a video of a makeup tutorial for evading facial recognition. The actor asked people living in Delhi to participate in the demonstration, noting that restrictions on routes into the capital have prevented people from outside the capital from entering central Delhi.
Sharing the video on X (formerly Twitter), Richa wrote, “So many restrictions on the border and locomotives etc, means baahar wale (outsiders) people can’t come into the central part. But those who live in the city should go in large numbers. Carry water. Wear a mask, cap, shades… walk ❤️ (They’re counting on you NOT showing up. Prove them wrong) Ooh ! Don’t miss the make-up tutorial 😉.”
Anurag Kashyap, Prakash Raj extend support
Several other members of the film industry have also voiced support for the CJP’s protest. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap shared a post that read, “Do darpok, 40,000 gulaam, lakhon bahadur (Two cowards, 40,000 slaves, lakhs of courageous people).” Actor Prakash Raj, who had also attended the earlier protest in Mumbai, questioned the government’s response to public dissent. He wrote on X, “How long will you escape from Citizens dissent #justasking.”
Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane has also been among those expressing support for the protest. Meanwhile, filmmaker Apurva Asrani reacted to the arrest of CJP leaders and called it ‘death of democracy’. Vishal Dadlani also slammed the government for removing security forces from sensitive areas like Jammu and Kashmir and deploying them in Delhi to stop protestors.
Before Monday’s protest, the CJP had held a protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on October 2. It saw several prominent names from the entertainment industry join the protest, including Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, singer-composer Vishal Dadlani, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and others.
What is happening at the CJP protest in Delhi?
The protest was organised to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR process. Ahead of the demonstration, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and party leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained by Delhi Police after their flight landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport. Meanwhile, All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora, who was protesting at Dilli Haat (INA), was also detained by the police.