The call given by the civil society group and the Cockroach Janata Party turned phenomenal on 2nd October 2026, with thousands of people, especially Gen Z, arriving with immense zeal and dedication at both Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Shivaji Park in Mumbai demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the ruling political dispensation at the centre.
In Delhi, the protest was called by AISA National President Neha Bora, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha and Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, along with left parties and INDIA bloc outfits. Despite Delhi Police denying permission and imposing Section 163 BNSS across New Delhi, clamping mobile internet from 9 am to 9 pm in a 1.5 km radius around Jantar Mantar and shutting 12 metro stations including Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat and Barakhamba, protesters kept converging.
Police said over 700 activists were detained and taken towards Badarpur and other borders in buses. The list of detained leaders is long and includes former Delhi Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Atishi, former Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha, CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby who from inside a police van called Gyanesh Kumar a “butcher of democracy”, veteran CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, CPI National Secretary and MP Comrade P Sandosh Kumar, CPI Delhi State Secretary Prof. Dinesh Varshney, AISF General Secretary Dinesh Seerangara, RJD leader Manoj Jha, Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav who said “India today is same as it was under British”, social activist Nikhil Dey who said “Satyagraha was murdered on Gandhi Jayanti”, DYFI General Secretary Himagnaraj Bhattacharya, DYFI President and Rajya Sabha MP A A Rahim, SFI General Secretary Srijan Bhattacharya, SFI President Adarsh M Saji, former JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh, and NSUI President Vinod Jakhar with his workers.
The most dramatic scene was of AAP MP Sanjay Singh who was not allowed to move outside his North Avenue house and was compelled to sit in a solitary dharna with Gandhiji’s pictures adorned at the back on the railings, while TMC MP Mahua Moitra extended support to the protesters online. AAP alleged protesters were literally beaten, dragged and forcibly thrown inside waiting police vans. At Jantar Mantar, there were hundreds of CAPF personnel with barricades all around and women police officers seen detaining Neha Bora without nameplates, while near the Press Club of India and Parliament House, thousands of protesters raised slogans of “Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod” and “Gyanesh Kumar Must Resign”.
In Mumbai, the CJP’s ‘Jail Bharo Andolan Season 2’ at Gate No. 6 of Shivaji Park, led by founder Abhijeet Dipke, saw literally thousands with national flags and placards reading “Gyanu, Tujha Democracy Var Bharosa Nay Kay?”, “Gyanesh BRO JUST RESIGN” and “Gaddaar Gyaanu Must Go”. Despite Mumbai Police denying permission and barricading routes from Dadar station, the crowd swelled.
The Mumbai rally became a star-studded affair. Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah hugged Dipke on stage saying “I want to thank you, whatever you are doing, please continue”, veteran actress Shabana Azmi gave a speech saying “Our Vote Is Our Right”, Bollywood singer-composer Vishal Dadlani, who was in Anna Hazare’s Delhi rally earlier, led the chant “Go Gyanu Go” and said “Yeh aandolan chalu rahega”, film director Vishal Bhardwaj and his wife singer Rekha Bhardwaj, and activist Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, former Delhi chief minister Atishi Marlena Singh were all present. South India actor Prakash Raj, in a video message on X, urged citizens to support CJP saying “goons who celebrate Godse are now trying to kill our citizenship and democracy through SIR”. NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule also backed the protest, while Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS extended support in Dadar.
The Election Commission has maintained that all decisions on SIR were taken unanimously despite reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on 14 occasions.
