YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor activist Prakash Raj joined a protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on Thursday against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The protest was organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), founded by Abhijeet Dipke, along with civil society and student groups. Protesters demanded that the SIR exercise be scrapped and called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the revision process.
Rathee, who had announced his participation on social media, addressed the gathering and alleged that there was “zero transparency, zero accountability” from the Election Commission.
He also clarified that his participation was not aimed at bringing about a change in government.
“I have not come here for regime change,” Rathee said while addressing the protesters.
Prakash Raj Calls for SIR to Be Scrapped
Prakash Raj also addressed the gathering and demanded that the SIR exercise be scrapped.
He alleged that the process was not merely about deleting names from electoral rolls but affected the dignity and voting rights of citizens.
“Our aim is not to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar alone. If he goes, another will replace him. The aim is to scrap SIR,” Raj said.
He alleged that voters from minority, Adivasi and Muslim communities had been affected by deletions from electoral rolls.
Raj also alleged that Gyanesh Kumar was “acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah”. These were his allegations at the protest and have not been independently established.
‘People’s Tribunal’ Held at Freedom Park
The protest included a “People’s Tribunal”, where voters from different parts of Karnataka raised concerns over alleged deletions from electoral rolls.
A Bengaluru based software engineer, Mujibur Rehman, claimed that his name had been deleted from the electoral roll and said he did not know who had submitted the Form 7 application seeking its removal.
“We have been robbed of our right to vote,” Rehman said.
People from Bhalki, Babaleshwar and other parts of Karnataka also participated in the protest, raising concerns about voters allegedly being marked as “shifted” or “absent” despite continuing to live at the same addresses.
The protesters displayed posters carrying messages including “Error 404: Name Not Found” and “Don’t erase us, hear us”.
Protesters Demand Action Over Electoral Roll Revision
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged irregularities in the SIR process and called for further action against those responsible.
The organisers have demanded that deletions made during the SIR exercise be scrapped and that the pre SIR electoral rolls be retained.
The protest is part of a wider mobilisation against the electoral roll revision, with CJP, AISA and other organisations also calling for further demonstrations.
A separate “chappal protest” and women’s solidarity march were announced as part of Thursday’s programme at Freedom Park.
