Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah made a surprise appearance at Shivaji Park in Mumbai this past Friday to stand in solidarity with the Cockroach Janata Party. The seasoned performer joined the demonstration calling for the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Upon arriving at the site, Shah shared a warm embrace with the party’s founder, Abhijit Dipke, and expressed genuine disbelief at seeing the movement unfold in person. The actor went on to tell the organiser that he has been following his activist work with great admiration, a moment that Dipke later described on social media as feeling like a surreal dream.
The protest is part of an ongoing campaign by the group against the current leadership of the Election Commission of India. Activists are raising serious concerns regarding alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and are demanding more transparency in how election commissioners are appointed. Despite the fact that local authorities had not granted official permission for the gathering at Shivaji Park, the event proceeded peacefully. Observers at the scene noted that volunteers from the organisation took responsibility for cleaning the park grounds once the demonstration concluded.
This latest rally is part of a growing wave of public actions led by the party, which previously gained national attention for its involvement in the NEET paper leak protests that contributed to the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Prasad. Shah is joined in his support by other prominent industry figures including Shabana Azmi, Vishal Dadlani, and Prakash Raj, all of whom framed the Gandhi Jayanti gathering as a necessary effort to safeguard democratic processes. While the actor has a long history of lending his voice to public causes, the future of this particular movement now hinges on the Election Commission’s response. The Cockroach Janata Party has warned that if their demands for institutional change are ignored, they are prepared to expand their protests from Mumbai to cities across the country.