Dhruv Rathee and Prakash Raj join Bengaluru People’s Tribunal targeting electoral roll revision voter deletions

YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor-activist Prakash Raj have joined Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke and co-convener Ashutosh Ranka in Bengaluru for a “People’s Tribunal” targeting voter deletions during the electoral roll revision.

The tribunal and subsequent protests are centered on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka stated that the group would interact with residents from across Karnataka who claim their names were wrongly removed from voter lists. The tribunal is scheduled at Freedom Park, followed by a sandal protest held in solidarity with women.

Ahead of the 4 PM demonstration, police personnel were deployed and barricades erected at Freedom Park to tighten security at the venue.

Prakash Raj appealed to citizens to join the event, describing it as part of a collective fight to save democracy. In a video posted on the social media platform X confirming his participation, Dhruv Rathee echoed similar sentiments about preserving democratic processes. Rathee further announced that the group plans to hold another demonstration at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on October 10.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) staged state-wide “Black Day” protests responding to a nationwide Congress call. The demonstrations followed the detention of party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other opposition figures during a separate protest in Delhi.

The main state protest took place at the KPCC office on Queen’s Road in Bengaluru, with parallel demonstrations organised across district and block levels. During the state-wide demonstrations, the Congress party demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and accused authorities of undermining electoral integrity in connection with the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.