“We will ensure Gyanesh Kumar resigns”: Abhijeet Dipke says "ready to go to jail" ahead of march

Ahead of the ‘Jantar Mantar 2.0’ protest scheduled in New Delhi on Saturday, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activist Abhijeet Dipke, while departing from Mumbai to Delhi, said he was ready to go to jail and would continue his fight over the alleged deletion of votes, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Dipke said threats of imprisonment would not deter him from continuing the fight, adding that he was prepared to go to jail.

Speaking to ANI, Dipke said, " If you think you can stop us by threatening us with jail or trying to intimidate us with the fear of imprisonment, you are mistaken. We are ready to go to jail. If you want to imprison us, go ahead—impose the NSA, the UAPA, or whatever laws you wish—but we will continue to fight to save this country's democracy."

He claimed that people were being deprived of their voting rights, asserting that he would continue to fight to "save the democracy of India."

"And we will ensure Gyanesh Kumar resigns, because over 13 crore votes have been deleted and people are being stripped of their voting rights; we will keep fighting for that cause. We have to save the democracy of India," he further said.

Dipke also questioned the restrictions imposed in the national capital, alleging that the entire city had been shut down to protect Kumar.

"I fail to understand how Narendra Modi can shut down the entire national capital just to shield one man, Gyanesh Kumar. You have halted railway services, shut down the metro, blocked all roads, suspended the internet,” Dipke added.

Meanwhile, security arrangements have been stepped up across the national capital ahead of the proposed demonstration. More than 35,000 Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed, amid heightened security measures and a directive from the Union Home Secretary to states and Union Territories to maintain law and order.

The demonstration, scheduled to be held at Jantar Mantar today, has been claimed to be aimed at seeking accountability over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. CJP has called for a large mobilisation despite the Delhi Police denying permission for the protest.

In an Instagram post, CJP said, "10th October. Jantar Mantar 2.0. We're coming together again to raise our voice against Gyanesh Kumar. Thousands of us are expected..."Following the announcement, Delhi Police instructed its teams to detain anyone attempting to stage a protest, irrespective of their location, according to the details provided. Police have also directed Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) units not to issue weapons for deployment related to the demonstration. Letters have been sent to the concerned directorates regarding the allotment plan.

Unlike the arrangements made during the INDIA bloc protest, police teams have now been authorised to carry lathis and batons. In view of alleged attempts to record and circulate videos portraying police personnel in a negative light, teams have been instructed to avoid verbal confrontations with protesters.

Those detained are to be taken to six designated centres: Chhatrasal Stadium, Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Yamuna Sports Complex, Surajmal Stadium, the Community Centre in Daulatpur and the Community Centre in Pandrawal.