Mumbai Police registered a case against about 500 people after an opposition-linked rally over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls left Shivaji Park and continued on public roads without permission, according to India TV News. The first information report follows a gathering on Friday that police said moved from the park into Dadar with loudspeakers and slogans, intensifying a third day of nationwide protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
What police say happened in Dadar
Officers told India TV that the Cockroach Janta Party had sought clearance for an event at Shivaji Park but that participants later assembled on a nearby road. Police said slogans were raised and amplification equipment was used without authorization. After the FIR was filed, investigators said they were reviewing closed-circuit footage to identify additional participants. The outlet reported that security across Maharashtra was tightened ahead of a separate “Garjana” march led by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray, which began Sunday from south Mumbai toward the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters.
Hindustan Times live coverage described thousands of supporters converging near Metro Cinema for that joint march, with Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leaders joining calls to scrap the revision exercise. Uddhav Thackeray said Kumar’s appointment lacked fairness, while Raj Thackeray demanded an end to electronic voting machines in favor of paper ballots—a recurring theme in opposition speeches this weekend.
Delhi clashes on a parallel track
While Mumbai focused on permits and crowd control, Delhi saw more volatile scenes. DNA India reported that Rapid Action Force units reinforced central districts as protesters neared Jantar Mantar, with police holding hundreds under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita prohibitory orders. The Indian Express noted that the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear petitions on Monday seeking Kumar’s suspension and challenging guidelines said to have been issued without full commission concurrence.
Opposition parties contend the revision has removed or threatened millions of legitimate voters; the Election Commission says the exercise removes duplicates and deceased entries to protect roll integrity. The BJP and the commission have denied partisan motives. Reuters reported that youth-led demonstrations represent one of the most sustained challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in recent years, even as commission officials on Friday directed field staff to register eligible voters who were omitted in error.
Why Mumbai matters in the SIR fight
Friday’s Shivaji Park case shows how local enforcement is becoming the pressure valve for a national political dispute. Booking 500 people signals prosecutors are prepared to treat unauthorized street protests as unlawful assemblies, not merely traffic violations. With Monday’s Supreme Court hearing approaching and marches planned toward the Election Commission office in Delhi, Mumbai’s FIR sets a template other states may follow if rallies continue without permits. For now, the commission has not announced any change to the revision timetable, leaving courts and street politics to carry the argument into the week ahead.