Mumbai denies permission for October 2 CJP protest, Abhijeet Dipke warns of jail-bharo stir

A row has broken out over a proposed protest planned in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2. Abhijeet Dipke claimed in a social media post that Mumbai Police had refused to grant permission for the protest planned by CJP. He questioned the decision, saying it amounted to an attempt to suppress citizens' voices. He also warned that if permission is not granted, CJP will launch a "jail bharo andolan" (fill the jails movement) in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti.

According to Dipke, the protest had been planned for October 2 to mark Gandhi Jayanti, but he claimed Mumbai Police had refused to grant permission for it. Expressing displeasure over the decision, he said citizens have a right to voice their views, and that denying permission for the protest was an attempt to suppress their voice. In his post, he said clearly that if permission is not granted, CJP will launch a jail bharo andolan in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti.

Mumbai Police issued a clarification on social media on the matter. According to the police, Mumbai Police itself does not have the authority to grant permission for any gathering or protest at Shivaji Park. The police cited a 2013 Bombay High Court order and a 2016 Maharashtra government order on this. In other words, according to the police, the refusal of permission for a protest at Shivaji Park is not a separate decision of the police, but compliance with already established rules.

Mumbai Police said Ajinkya Shinde, who had filed the application in this matter, has been informed about this. The police have advised him to hold the protest at some other location in Mumbai city instead of Shivaji Park. The police also said that if permission is needed for another location, a separate application should be filed for it. The police clarified that once an application is received for an alternative location, it will be considered as per rules.

At present, two different accounts have emerged regarding this proposed protest planned in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti. On one hand, the organisers of the protest claim they were denied permission, while on the other, the police have clarified that they do not have the authority to grant permission for Shivaji Park in the first place. It remains to be seen whether an alternative location is decided for the protest, whether permission is granted for it, and what form the protest actually takes on October 2. With the warning of a jail bharo andolan, all eyes are on the activities in Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti.