‘We don’t have to tolerate anything wrong’: Shabana Azmi joins Cockroach Janta Party's Mumbai protest demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
Veteran star Shabana Azmi joined the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) Jail Bharo protest at Mumbai's Shivaji Park on Friday. Addressing the gathering, she spoke about the right to vote and backed the organisation's demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Adding to this, Mumbai: Star Shabana Azmi during a protest by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation, at Shivaji Park, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (PTI Photo/Shashank Parade)(PTI10_02_2026_000459B) (PTI) The star, who had earlier taken part in a students' protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, told the crowd that people should protest through democratic means if their names are removed from electoral rolls. The Mumbai gathering also saw several familiar names from the movie and music industry, including Naseeruddin Shah, Vishal Dadlani, Vishal Bhardwaj and Rekha Bhardwaj.
Meanwhile, In conversation with the reporters before reaching the stage on Friday evening, Shabana shared, “Voting is our right. If anyone tries to take away our right to vote, we will do what is necessary through democratic means.”
Notably, She later addressed those gathered at Shivaji Park in Mumbai and shared, “A very, very warm greeting to all of you. Since I am from Mumbai, seeing all of you present here in such large numbers brings me immense happiness.”
As per the latest buzz, “Our vote is our right, it is our voice, we have been hearing this since childhood. But when our right is snatched away from us, when our names are removed from the electoral rolls, what will we do? We will protest. This is our right. Today, look around and see how far your eyes can reach, this is the victory of democracy. Because we have recognised our own strength, and we have realised that we do not have to tolerate anything wrong, because this is our country, our Constitution has given us this right. So, many congratulations to all of you,” she added.
In further updates, The CJP has been protesting against the SIR exercise and has called for Gyanesh Kumar to step down as Chief Election Commissioner.
On top of that, Shabana was not the only member of the movie industry at the gathering. Vishal Dadlani, filmmaker and composer Vishal Bhardwaj and singer Rekha Bhardwaj were also present. Veteran star Naseeruddin Shah was seen at the protest as well, where he met CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke.
A video shared by Dipke shows him embracing Shah. During their interaction, Shah told him, “I want to thank you,” to which Dipke responded, “Sir, I am a huge fan. I had no idea that you were here.” He then shared, “I knew you were here. I am a huge fan of yours. Whatever you are doing, please continue doing that.”
Source: Hindustan Times