The Mumbai Police has granted the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) permission to hold its ‘Lehrao Tiranga’ rally at Azad Maidan on October 16, even as the group awaits approval for a similar programme in Delhi. The Mumbai event is scheduled from 10 am to 5 pm at the city’s designated protest ground.
A Mumbai Police officer confirmed that permission had been granted for one day because Azad Maidan is a designated protest site. The approval allows the CJP to organise the rally within the conditions set by the police and at a location specifically used for public demonstrations.
According to a press note issued by the CJP, the rally has been called to show solidarity with party leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das. The two leaders were sent to five-day judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail after allegedly violating their peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, which has since been denotified as a protest area.
The CJP’s statement said the Mumbai programme follows arrests connected to an incident at Jantar Mantar. The party alleged that its members had been jailed for unfurling the national flag, while Delhi Police cited repeated violations of law and attempts to disturb public peace, according to the statement reported by The Indian Express.
The organisers have asked citizens attending the Mumbai rally to bring the Tricolour as a mark of solidarity. The programme’s location at Azad Maidan is significant because the ground is an established venue for protests, allowing authorities to manage demonstrations within a designated public space rather than at locations where gatherings may disrupt commercial activity or daily movement.
The Mumbai permission comes against the backdrop of a separate dispute in Delhi. The Delhi High Court noted an assurance from the Delhi Police that action would be taken against the CJP and its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, after a plea raised concerns about a proposed protest at Central Park in Connaught Place on October 16.
The plea argued that Dipke was advocating for street vendors and small traders whose businesses had been severely affected by regular protests and agitations in and around the Jantar Mantar area. Dipke had called on “patriots” to gather at Central Park with the national flag, alleging that CJP members Ranka and Das had been jailed for unfurling the Tricolour.
The contrasting positions in Mumbai and Delhi reflect the role of designated protest grounds in managing demonstrations. In Mumbai, police permission has been granted for a rally at Azad Maidan for a specified day, while in Delhi the proposed gathering at Connaught Place remains subject to police action and court-monitored assurances. The CJP’s Mumbai team is expected to hold the programme between 10 am and 5 pm on October 16.
