YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and actor-activist Prakash Raj will participate in a 'People’s Tribunal' on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park on Thursday, with voters who claim they were wrongly removed from the electoral rolls expected to attend the event.
The tribunal, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), was scheduled to begin at 10:30 am under the slogan 'Save Our Votes, Save Democracy'. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, co-convener Ashutosh Ranka, spokesperson Saurav Das, youth organisations and civil society groups are also expected to participate. Student leader Aishe Ghosh and All India Students’ Association president Neha Bora are among those expected to speak.
Prakash Raj announced the event on social media on Wednesday and urged citizens to attend. In a video message, he said SIR 'victims' from across Karnataka would be present at the tribunal and described Dhruv Rathee as a special guest. Rathee later confirmed his participation in a video posted on X, saying the programme was part of the campaign to 'save democracy'.
Chappal Protest In Support Of Female Journos
The tribunal will be followed by a 'chappal protest', which the organisers said would be held in solidarity with three women journalists who alleged sexual harassment by Delhi Police personnel during a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 3. Delhi Police has said the allegations are being looked into. CJP founder Dipke has demanded the arrest of the police officer accused by the journalists.
CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka had announced on October 6 that the group would interact with Kannadigas who allegedly had their names removed from the electoral rolls during the SIR. He said the later protest would be held in solidarity with the women journalists.
CJP Set To March To Jantar Mantar On Oct 10
The CJP is also demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Dipke has said the group could march to Jantar Mantar in Delhi on October 10 if Kumar does not step down.
The protest comes amid an ongoing political dispute over the SIR exercise and allegations that genuine voters have been excluded from electoral rolls. The draft electoral roll released after the SIR in Karnataka reportedly recorded more than 1.08 crore entries under categories including absent, shifted, dead and duplicate voters. However, the figure does not mean that all those voters were wrongly deleted.
Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala had claimed on September 24 that around 13 crore names had been removed from electoral rolls across 19 states since June 2025, including 1.43 crore in Karnataka. The Election Commission has faced criticism from opposition parties over the revision exercise, while the poll panel has rejected allegations of deliberate or wrongful deletion of voters.
