Lyricist Javed Akhtar on Friday questioned whether residents of Mumbai’s Shivaji Park who objected to the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest over noise pollution would raise similar objections when a political party holds a jalsa at the venue. His remarks came as the CJP held a protest at Shivaji Park demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Akhtar said he welcomed residents’ concerns about noise pollution and their demand that authorities cancel the CJP gathering, but questioned whether the same standard would be applied to political gatherings. “I am so happy that some residences of Shivaji park are getting sensitive about the noise pollution and asking the authorities to cancel the protest of CJP today at Shivaji park,” he said in a post on X. He added that he was “hundred percent sure” they would raise the same objection “with the same intensity if not more” when a political party holds a jalsa at the venue.

The CJP protest was organised by founder Abhijeet Dipke as part of a nationwide agitation over allegations concerning the functioning of the Election Commission and electoral-roll processes. Dipke had demanded Kumar’s resignation and announced that the Mumbai demonstration would be the first stage of a wider campaign planned across several cities before a proposed gathering at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

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Mumbai Police had denied permission for the October 2 gathering at Shivaji Park. The police cited restrictions on the use of the venue, the requirement for civic permission and concerns over noise pollution and traffic congestion. Dipke subsequently announced that the CJP would proceed with a “Jail Bharo Andolan” at the venue despite the denial.

The protest followed a report alleging that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections to several decisions of the poll panel over a 10-month period, including matters related to electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The report triggered political controversy, with opposition parties questioning the functioning of the Election Commission and seeking Kumar’s resignation. The Election Commission, however, rejected the suggestion that the reported differences represented a breakdown within the poll panel and said individual views and suggestions were part of deliberations in a multi-member constitutional body. It maintained that final decisions, including those concerning SIR, were taken unanimously.

The Mumbai protest was held alongside demonstrations in Delhi by AAP leaders, student activists and other groups, also seeking Kumar’s resignation. The protests have brought renewed attention to competing claims about electoral-roll revisions and the functioning of the poll panel. Akhtar’s intervention focused on a separate issue surrounding the Mumbai gathering — whether objections based on noise and disruption at Shivaji Park would be applied consistently to political rallies as well as other public demonstrations.

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