The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) held its ‘Jantar Mantar @ Kochi’ protest on Saturday, with actor-activist Prakash Raj leading a march from Marine Drive to Rajendra Maidan. The gathering, which included CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and several activists and public figures, demanded the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Around 500 activists participated in the march, according to the organisers. DYFI Kerala state president Chintha Jerome also joined the procession, in which participants carried national flags and raised slogans against the Election Commission. Police personnel were deployed along the route to regulate traffic and prevent road blockades.
The protest marked CJP’s first major public mobilisation in South India following police action against its leaders during demonstrations in New Delhi last month. CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were arrested after entering Jantar Mantar, which had been denotified as a designated protest site by Delhi Police. Dipke was also detained ahead of a planned Tiranga March, while party leaders were questioned by the Delhi Police Crime Branch in connection with cases related to protests in the national capital.
The procession from Marine Drive reached Rajendra Maidan, where a public meeting and cultural programme were held. The gathering began with a folk music performance by Thrissur-based Karinthalakkootam. The stage was decorated with books and sandals, which writer N.S. Madhavan explained as symbolic of the belongings left behind by students following police action at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
Madhavan is the chairman of the organising committee, while M.G. Gopakumar is its general convener. The organisers called for the anti-SIR campaign to be taken to other districts as well.
The programme was anchored by Ajayan Adat and featured protest songs, including a performance by singer Reshmi Satheesan. A short play by theatre group Nattak was also part of the cultural programme.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke arrived at Rajendra Maidan later in the afternoon and addressed the gathering at around 5.35 pm. Before his speech, he raised the national flag. He criticised the Union government and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reluctance to hold press conferences, while reiterating the campaign’s demand for an independent and impartial electoral system.
Several speakers, including S. Shilpa, Viraj Devang and Danish Ali, spoke about the SIR exercise and concerns over democratic rights. CJP national secretary Afreen Nawaz and the party’s South India in-charge Vijay Mallangi were also present at the event. Other speakers included political activist Radhika Ganesh, poet Anvar Ali and anchor-activist Renjini Haridas.
The gathering also saw the release of the book, Jantar Mantar: Prathirodhathinte Vasantham, authored by Sebastian Paul. Prakash Raj handed a copy of the book to Dipke.
Prakash Raj addressed the gathering towards the end of the programme. Although the audience had called for him to speak earlier, he asked that younger voices be given an opportunity to address the meeting first.
The organisers also expressed solidarity with student-led protests, including the ongoing agitation at Kalady. The programme concluded with cultural performances and speeches.
