Overview
- CJP-led rallies drew thousands to Shivaji Park in Mumbai and prompted attempts to reach Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Friday, October 2, resulting in heavy police deployments and more than 700 detentions in the capital.
- Mumbai police said they had not granted permission for the Shivaji Park gathering because the ground is treated as a silence zone, yet the protest proceeded and drew performances and speeches from public figures including Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Vishal Dadlani.
- A 75-year-old attendee suffered a fatal heart attack after the Mumbai protest and a scuffle in Dadar produced disputed claims of stick use and injuries that could not be independently verified.
- The CJP’s central allegation — that the Special Intensive Revision removed roughly 13 crore names from rolls — remains unverified, and the Election Commission says the SIR is lawful and that its three commissioners took decisions unanimously.
- Support and opposition have both mobilised locally: a lawyers’ association in Palghar offered free legal aid to CJP members, resident groups staged counter-protests over disruption, and organisers warn of nationwide escalation that could affect voter confidence and election administration.