The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has called for a “chappal protest” at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on Thursday, October 8, in solidarity with three women journalists who have alleged sexual harassment by Delhi Police personnel during the protests in New Delhi. The demonstration will follow a People’s Tribunal on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, where people from Karnataka who say they were wrongly excluded from the voter rolls are expected to share their experiences. Actor Prakash Raj, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and spokesperson Saurav Das are among those expected to participate. The programme is scheduled to begin at 10.30 am.
Here is what you need to know about Thursday’s protest, why it is being held and how it fits into the larger SIR controversy.
What is the ‘chappal protest’?
The “chappal protest” is the name given by the CJP to Thursday’s demonstration in Bengaluru. The protest is being held in solidarity with women journalists who have alleged that they were sexually harassed by Delhi Police personnel while covering a protest near Jantar Mantar on October 3. The allegations are being investigated by the Delhi Police Crime Branch. The police have said that statements have been recorded and CCTV footage is being examined.
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The Bengaluru protest is therefore not solely about the SIR controversy. It combines the CJP’s ongoing campaign against the electoral-roll revision with a separate show of solidarity over the allegations involving the women journalists.
The organisers have described the programme as beginning with a People’s Tribunal on SIR and being followed by the “chappal protest” in solidarity with women.
Action packed Thurs for Bengaluru!Freedom Park, 10:30AM Onwards.This Thurs, Oct 8, we will be attending the People’s tribunal on SIR, interacting with Kannadigas who have been wrongfully removed from the voters list.This would be followed by a “Chappal protest” in solidarity with our women.Look forward to seeing you all in large numbers!@prakashraaj @Cockroachisback @abhijeet_dipke @SauravDassss @whattalawyer @Aafreen_Nawazz
— Ashutosh Ranka (@AshutoshRanka) October 6, 2026
Who is organising it?
The protest is being organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) along with youth and civil-society groups. CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka announced the Bengaluru programme. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and spokesperson Saurav Das are expected to attend.
Actor and activist Prakash Raj has also publicly backed the event and appealed to people to attend the People’s Tribunal and protest at Freedom Park.
People’s Tribunal by Cockroaches..Dipke.Ashuthosh.. Sourav and all the youth organisations and the civil society.. The victims of SIR from across the state will be present . requesting all the citizens to participate in this fight to save our Democracy.. come join us tomorrow 8 th October at Freedom Park .. Bengaluru #ScrapSIR #ResignGyaneshKumar #justasking
— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) October 7, 2026
What is the People’s Tribunal about?
The first part of Thursday’s protest is focused on the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. Civil society groups in Karnataka are organising the tribunal to document the experiences of people who say they have been left out of the electoral rolls during the revision exercise.
In Karnataka, the draft electoral roll published on August 24 contained about 4.46 crore electors, compared with about 5.54 crore on the roll as of June 16. More than 1.07 crore names were not included in the draft roll and were categorised under Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) classifications. Importantly, being absent from the draft roll did not, by itself, mean that a person's name had been permanently deleted; affected voters had an opportunity to file claims and objections.
The final electoral roll in Karnataka is scheduled to be published on October 27.
The CJP and other groups nevertheless argue that the process risks excluding genuine voters and have raised concerns about people who say they have been wrongly left out.
There have also been questions over discrepancies in deletion-related data in Karnataka.
What are the protesters demanding over SIR?
The groups involved in the Bengaluru programme have called for:
- Scrapping deletions made during the SIR exercise
- Retention/restoration of the pre-SIR electoral rolls
- Greater transparency and accountability in the electoral-roll revision process
- The resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar
The demand for Kumar's resignation is a political demand of the protesters. It follows wider protests by opposition and civil-society groups alleging irregularities in the SIR process. The Election Commission and Union government have rejected allegations of wrongdoing and maintain that the exercise is intended to clean up electoral rolls and protect the rights of eligible voters.
