Opposition and Civil Groups Protest Near CSMT Against Electoral Rolls Revision
Opposition leaders, student organisations, and civil society groups assembled near the Sir Pherozeshah Mehta statue outside the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters opposite Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on Sunday to protest against alleged electoral irregularities. Starting at 4:30 pm, the peaceful demonstration called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over concerns regarding the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The demonstration, titled 'A Walk to Defend Our Democracy', was organised following a call by Hum Bharat Ke Log leader Tushar Gandhi. Participants had originally planned to march from opposite CSMT to the Mahatma Gandhi statue near Mantralaya. However, organisers decided to disperse peacefully without proceeding with the march after leaders addressed the gathering and raised slogans.
Mumbai Police had withheld official permission for the march. Deputy Commissioner of Police Maneesh Kalwaniya stated earlier in the day that permission had not been granted for the protest. While police personnel did not intervene during the gathering near the BMC headquarters, officers remained prepared to detain demonstrators if they attempted to advance towards Mantralaya. A senior police officer noted that restrictions on south Mumbai demonstrations, particularly in Zones 1 and 2, were enforced based on Bombay High Court directions regarding public disruption.
Communist Party of India Maharashtra Secretariat member Prakash Reddy addressed the gathering, demanding Kumar's resignation and arrest over allegations that the revision process was being used to exclude eligible voters. Reddy appreciated that the police allowed the peaceful gathering to proceed, noting that participants did not want to cause traffic chaos. Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi accused the government of compromising democratic institutions and reiterated calls for elections to be conducted using paper ballots instead of electronic voting machines.
Civil society representatives voiced concerns over restrictions placed on democratic gatherings in south Mumbai. Ali Bhojani of Hum Bharat Ke Log questioned Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti over perceived unequal treatment, asking why permissions granted for political marches could not be extended to ordinary citizens. Bhojani criticised the policy of restricting protests exclusively to Azad Maidan and urged the Bombay High Court to reconsider designating additional protest spaces, including near Mantralaya.
Student representatives from the All India Students' Association demanded a rollback of the Special Intensive Revision exercise and the restoration of deleted voter names, while Citizens for Justice and Peace leader Sahil Parsekar noted strong youth participation. Representatives from the CPI(M) and Shiv Sena (UBT) also attended. The protest ended peacefully after CPI(M) Mumbai district secretary Shailendra Kamble thanked Zone 1 police officers for their cooperation and appealed to participants to disperse.
