Mumbai: Veteran actors Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, singer-composer Vishal Dadlani, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj and actor Atul Kulkarni attended a Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on Friday, October 2.
The demonstration, led by activist Abhijeet Dipke, called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an end to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of electoral rolls. Hundreds of supporters gathered at the venue.
Before the event, Shabana Azmi publicly backed the protest and urged people to participate. In a social media video, she called voting a fundamental right and raised the issue of citizens finding their names missing from voter lists. At the protest, she spoke about the constitutional right of citizens to raise their voice against alleged wrongdoing. She thanked participants for recognising their collective strength.
Vishal Dadlani had announced his support earlier and called on people to attend. At Shivaji Park, he raised slogans and expressed satisfaction at being present at the gathering.
Naseeruddin Shah extended his support to Abhijeet Dipke in person. A video shared by Dipke showed Shah meeting and embracing him at the gathering. Shah said he had come specifically to meet Abhijeet and appreciated his work.
Writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar also commented on the controversy over the protest venue. Some Shivaji Park residents had objected to the demonstration, citing noise and disruption. Akhtar welcomed residents raising the issue and asked whether they would voice the same objections when political parties hold public gatherings at the same location.
