Actor Naseeruddin Shah and composer-singer Vishal Dadlani joined the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Friday. The Cockroach Janta Party is demanding CEC Kumar’s resignation following investigation that found that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke subsequently said the organisation would go ahead with a “Jail Bharo Andolan” and demand Kumar’s resignation.

The protest, which was scheduled to begin at 4 pm, has drawn several prominent names from the film industry, including Shah, Vishal Dadlani and Shabana Azmi, among others. The CJP had announced the protest after Mumbai Police denied permission for its planned October 2 demonstration at Shivaji Park.

Naseeruddin Shah, who had previously spoken out during protests against the NEET paper leak, was also present at the gathering. A video shared by Dipke on X shows the veteran actor meeting the CJP leader, hugging him and shaking hands with him.

Am I dreaming or what? pic.twitter.com/NAA7ZdVPjz

— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) October 2, 2026

In the video, Dipke appears surprised to see Shah at the protest. Hugging him, Naseer says, “I want to thank you.” The CJP leader responds, “Sir, I am a huge fan. I had no idea that you were here.” Naseer then tells him, “I knew you were here. I am a huge fan of yours.” He adds, “Whatever you are doing, please continue doing that.”

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Prakash Raj supports CJP protest

Actor Prakash Raj also extended his support to the protest. In a video shared on X, the actor said, “Happy Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti. But as we celebrate, we should not forget there are certain goons who are celebrating Godse who killed our Mahatma. And these are the same goons who are trying to kill our citizenship, our democracy through SIR. But the youth of this country, the civil society, the cockroaches will not let this happen.”

He added, “On this day, there are peaceful protests across the country. Neha Vora is leading it in Delhi. The cockroaches are back in Mumbai. Go, participate. Stand by them in this peaceful protest for our rights.”

‘Asking questions is our right’: Shabana Azmi

Meanwhile, Shabana Azmi had urged people to join the protest in a video shared on Instagram a day earlier. She said, “We were often told your vote is your voice. Your vote is your right. Your vote can change the future of this country. But what happens if your vote doesn’t count? What happens when your name suddenly disappears from the voters list? When your vote can be altered or manipulated?”

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She continued, “This time, the question is not about a particular party. It is about your and my vote. We sought permission for protest multiple times, but we were not permitted to do so. But questioning is our right. So please step out of your house, and ask questions for your people and democracy. Let’s meet at Shivaji Park on October 2 at 4 PM.”

Dipke has said the movement will subsequently travel to other cities, including Goa, Bengaluru and Kolkata, before culminating in a sit-in at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. He has said the agitation will continue until Kumar resigns.

Dipke had risen to prominence during student-led protests over the NEET paper-leak controversy. The CJP later became associated with demonstrations demanding accountability over the issue. The protest had eventually led to the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.