Anti-CEC protest LIVE: Prakash Raj slams arrest of CJP leaders, demands scrapping of SIR

The two Cockroach Janata Party leaders were first placed under preventive arrest after entering Jantar Mantar with the national flag. They were then sent to five days of judicial custody on October 14, 2026. The action became a major focus of protests against the government’s handling of the SIR dispute.

Police registered an FIR in the Jantar Mantar trespassing case. The charges included breach of bond, criminal trespass and disobedience of orders, along with other provisions. Unlike Ajinkya Shinde, who was released on a personal bond, Das and Ranka were ordered to remain in custody and were to be lodged in Tihar Jail.

Actor Prakash Raj called the arrest and custody order “a big joke.” He said no traffic had been disrupted and demanded that the SIR be scrapped. The CJP said it would continue displaying the national flag, while protests and legal support efforts continued in Delhi.

A Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, is a comprehensive review of electoral rolls. Election authorities use such an exercise to check whether listed voters remain eligible and whether qualified people are missing. It is more intensive than routine updates because it involves broad verification of voter records.

The process can correct errors, add eligible voters and remove duplicate, deceased or otherwise ineligible entries. Its key mechanism is verification of electoral information, often through documents, forms or local checks. The source article does not explain the official procedures used in this SIR, so these are the established general features of electoral-roll revision.

The issue matters because an incorrect deletion can prevent a genuine voter from casting a ballot. The article says platforms opposing the SIR met in Delhi and planned a press conference with voters whose names were deleted. Protesters therefore demand that the exercise be scrapped and seek wider public resistance.

The protesters are demanding that the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls be scrapped. Some also want Jantar Mantar restored as a protest site. Former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and prosecution, while Prakash Raj said the SIR “should be scrapped.”

Their concern centers on voters whose names were deleted during the SIR exercise. Organisers announced a meeting with such voters before a press conference at the Press Club of India on October 15. Protesters also objected to the detention and custody of CJP leaders who entered Jantar Mantar with the national flag.

The dispute has widened beyond the electoral-roll process. Leaders and groups are challenging both the revision and the government’s response to dissent. A new joint platform against the SIR was announced, and a nationwide agitation was mentioned. The article does not provide a detailed reform proposal beyond these demands.

Preventive arrest is a short-term police action intended to prevent a person from causing a suspected breach of peace or violating an order. It does not itself decide guilt. Judicial custody is different: after a court orders it, the accused is held under judicial authority, usually in a jail, while the case proceeds.

In this case, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were first placed under preventive arrest. They were later sent to five days of judicial custody on October 14 and were to be lodged in Tihar Jail. Police registered an FIR linked to the alleged Jantar Mantar trespassing incident.

The reported charges included breach of bond, criminal trespass and disobedience of orders, among other provisions. Ajinkya Shinde was also preventively arrested but was released on a personal bond. The distinction matters because custody followed a court decision, while the initial detention was a preventive police measure.

The article describes the planned opposition to the SIR as a nationwide agitation. It also reports the formation of a new joint platform against the revision. This indicates an effort to coordinate resistance beyond the Delhi protests, but the article gives no estimate of the number of participants, organisations or locations involved.

The immediate programme included an emergency consultation meeting in Delhi and a press conference at the Press Club of India. Organisers said the press conference would follow a meeting with voters whose names were deleted during the SIR. It was scheduled for 3 p.m. on October 15, 2026.

The article does not state when the nationwide agitation itself will begin. It also does not provide a timetable, duration, route or expected turnout. Therefore, the confirmed position is that nationwide action was announced, while its scale and starting date remained unspecified in the report.

If an eligible person’s name is wrongly deleted from the electoral roll, that person may be unable to vote in an election. The roll is the official record used to identify voters at polling stations. Without a valid entry, a voter can face rejection even if they meet the legal requirements to vote.

The article connects this concern directly to the SIR dispute. Organisers planned to meet voters whose names were deleted during the exercise before holding a press conference. Their cases were presented as evidence of the practical effect that the revision may have on citizens’ participation.

The immediate consequence is the loss of a person’s opportunity to cast a ballot in the relevant election. The broader consequence is reduced confidence in the electoral process. The article does not describe the appeal or correction procedure, so it cannot establish how affected voters could restore their names.

Electoral rolls are foundational because they identify the citizens allowed to participate in an election. Accuracy helps ensure that eligible voters are included and that records are reliable. Inclusiveness matters because representative government depends on broad public participation, not only on those whose names appear correctly in official records.

The article illustrates the issue through voters whose names were deleted during the SIR exercise. Organisers planned to meet these voters in Delhi. Their cases show how an administrative change can affect a person’s ability to take part in choosing representatives, even when the person believes they should remain enrolled.

That is why the protesters are demanding that the SIR be scrapped and why the issue has prompted wider political resistance. A new joint platform announced nationwide agitation. The article also records calls for the Chief Election Commissioner’s resignation and prosecution, showing that the dispute concerns both voter inclusion and accountability.