A people’s tribunal on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is scheduled at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Thursday, with YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, actor-activist Prakash Raj and Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke expected to participate, The Times of India reported.
The programme is being organised by the Cockroach Janata Party, along with youth organisations and civil society groups. Organisers have described it as a campaign to highlight the concerns of people who allegedly lost their names from the electoral rolls during the SIR exercise.
People who claim to have been affected by the revision are expected to attend from different parts of Karnataka. According to CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka, the organisers will interact with Kannadigas who allegedly lost their names from the voters’ list following the exercise.
The event will also include statements from people described by the organisers as “victims of SIR”. The supplied report does not establish how many people are expected to attend, how many names may have been removed, or whether the alleged exclusions have been confirmed by election authorities.
Prakash Raj, who has criticised the SIR exercise, urged citizens to participate in a video message. He said the tribunal would bring together people affected by the revision from across the state. Rathee separately confirmed his participation in a video posted on X, describing the event as part of a fight to “save democracy”.
The programme is scheduled to be followed by a “chappal protest” in solidarity with women. Ranka had referred to the proposed protest in a post on X on October 6. The supplied report does not provide further details about the format, route or permissions for the demonstration.
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has become a subject of political debate in Karnataka. Critics have raised concerns about the possible exclusion of eligible voters, while the Bengaluru event is intended by its organisers to publicly document the experiences of people who say they have been affected.
Freedom Park, where the tribunal is scheduled to take place, is a designated public space in central Bengaluru that has hosted civic demonstrations and public meetings. The event therefore brings an electoral-administration dispute into a formal public gathering, with participation expected from activists, public figures and members of the public.
The tribunal, the proposed protest and the interaction with affected residents are scheduled to take place on Thursday. The supplied report does not include a response from election authorities or details of any official review of the alleged voter-roll deletions.
