A day before the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) planned protest in Delhi, its founder Abhijeet Dipke on Friday criticised the Centre over the cancellation of trains to and from the national capital and restrictions surrounding the demonstration, saying the government should shut down the entire country if it was afraid of young people, reported the PTI.
The CJP has called for a large demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Saturday to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“Shut down the entire country if you are scared of the youth,” Dipke told reporters, reacting to the developments ahead of the protest, the news agency reported.
Trains cancelled ahead of demonstration
According to the PTI, the Railway Board on Friday cancelled certain Mail and Express trains scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10.
The cancellations come a day before the CJP’s planned demonstration, with the party seeking to mobilise young people to protest against the CEC and the SIR exercise.
Dipke questioned the restrictions and said the government did not need to grant permission for a protest at Jantar Mantar, which is a designated protest site, as per the PTI.
Delhi Police denies permission
The Delhi Police has denied permission to the CJP to hold its proposed protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday.
Separately, the Delhi Police has urged the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to shut 57 metro stations to prevent the movement of young people who may be travelling to join the demonstration, according to the information provided.
The proposed restrictions and train cancellations have become a point of contention ahead of the planned protest.
CJP demands CEC’s resignation
The CJP has accused the Election Commission of irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls and is demanding Kumar’s resignation, the news agency reported.
The allegations have been rejected neither as established facts nor independently verified in the information available for this report. The protest is part of a wider political dispute over the voter roll revision exercise.
(with PTI inputs)
