‘Not over until we say it’s over’: Abhijeet Dipke’s message ahead of CJP’s anti-SIR protest in Kochi today

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) will lead a protest march in Kochi, Kerala, on today, calling for the cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process for electoral rolls. The event, dubbed "Jantar Mantar at Kochi," will convene at Rajendra Maidan at 4 pm, as announced by the party on X. Prominent figures expected to participate include CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, actor-activist Prakash Raj, CJP national leader Afreen Nawaz, and South India in-charge Vijay Reddy Mallangi.

This protest marks CJP's first major demonstration since several of its leaders were apprehended in Delhi last month while attempting to stage a rally at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR initiative. Upon entering Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, CJP co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were arrested. The site had been deemed unsuitable for protests by the Delhi Police, which subsequently barred it from being utilized as a designated protest location.

Dipke subsequently faced detention pending the commencement of a Tiranga March orchestrated by the party in Delhi. The Delhi Police Crime Branch has also recently interrogated CJP leaders in relation to cases linked to protests in the capital.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh recently criticized the CJP, alleging that party members were receiving financial support from unauthorized foreign organizations. Singh asserted that there was ample evidence to show that Dipke was receiving funds from illicit sources. Responding to the allegations, CJP leaders questioned why Singh had been negotiating with them previously, referring to meetings between group leaders and Singh, as well as Union Minister JP Nadda, during CJP's earlier protest against the government over the NEET issue.

Ranka called the assertion "baseless," emphasizing that the party had been raising the issue of evidence from the outset, with their first press conference held on June 3.