YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor Prakash Raj joined a Cockroach Janta Party-led protest at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstration targeted the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, with leaders alleging a lack of transparency and an attack on citizens’ voting rights.
The Freedom Park in Bengaluru became Ground Zero for the Cockroach Janta Party-led protest on Thursday (October 8) against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor Prakash Raj among high-profile figures in attendance.
Sharing a video on social media platform, Instagram, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee said, “I would like to send a message.” In the video, the crowd could be heard saying: “Vote chor, vote chor,” slogans. He ended the video with ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ slogan.
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Protesters from various walks of life, including women and students, gathered in large numbers at Freedom Park and the mood dramatically turned electric, with unceasing slogan-shouting, demanding the scrapping of the SIR exercise and asking Gyanesh Kumar to step down.
“Error 404 – Name Not Found”, and “It’s done bro, resign sir” and “Don’t erase us, hear us,” were among the slogans found on posters waved by protesters.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee on Thursday alleged that there was “zero transparency and zero accountability from the EC,” over the SIR exercise. Addressing a protest organised by civil society groups and the CJP over SIR at Freedom Park here, he said, “I have not come here for regime change.”
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke led the protest, with the crowd raising “vote chor, vote chor” slogans. Dipke accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “murdering democracy and vote theft,” and said protests will go on till CEC Gyanesh Kumar resigns from his post.
Presiding over a protest held by civil society group and CJP against SIR, he alleged that voter deletions under the Special Intensive Revision were aimed at disenfranchising those opposed to the BJP and accused PM Modi and the Election Commission of murdering democracy and causing vote theft.
Actor-activist Prakash Raj, who also took part in the protest, demanded the scrapping of the SIR exercise, alleging it was not merely about deletion of votes, but an attack on the dignity and rights of citizens. He further questioned the process of voter verification under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) while addressing the ‘People’s Tribunal’ at Freedom Park in Bengaluru. He said groups ranging from CJP to AISA had come together because they were concerned about the exercise. Describing the issue as more than “vote chori”, Raj alleged that the Election Commission of India had “insulted the entire country” through SIR.