Mumbai Police have denied permission for the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) to hold a protest at Shivaji Park in Dadar on October 2, citing restrictions governing public events at the site, possible noise pollution and disruption to traffic near hospitals.
The proposed demonstration was scheduled between 3 pm and 5 pm on Gandhi Jayanti and was aimed at protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to the report, Shivaji Park Police Station senior police inspector Pramod Pawar conveyed the decision in a letter to CJP national organisational head Ajinkya Shinde.
The police said they do not have the authority to approve gatherings or events at Shivaji Park under a Bombay High Court order in PIL 116 of 2009, issued on January 4, 2013, and a Maharashtra government decision dated January 20, 2016. The court record, as cited in the report, deals with regulation of events and noise pollution at the ground.
The police also described Shivaji Park as a silence zone and said the proposed protest could create sound pollution. The letter reportedly warned that the gathering could affect traffic movement in the area, particularly because hospitals are located nearby. The police advised CJP to apply for permission to hold the protest at an alternative location in Mumbai through the relevant police station or police headquarters.
The decision highlights the administrative limits around the use of one of Mumbai’s most prominent public grounds. Shivaji Park is not treated like an unrestricted event venue, and permissions for gatherings there are shaped by court directions, state decisions and concerns about surrounding land uses, including healthcare facilities. The police position, as reported, is that any permission must be consistent with that legal and administrative framework.
The report said CJP was considering Azad Maidan as an alternative venue and was expected to approach Azad Maidan Police for permission. It did not establish whether that application had been formally submitted or whether permission had been granted there.
Abhijit Dipke of CJP objected to the police decision, saying that an attempt to suppress citizens’ voices would not be acceptable. He said the party would begin a “jail bharo” protest in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti if permission for the demonstration was not granted. That statement was attributed to Dipke, and the report did not indicate whether police had responded to the proposed course of action.
The immediate next step is the party’s possible application for an alternative venue, while any gathering at Shivaji Park would remain subject to the court and government provisions cited by Mumbai Police.
