- Dhruv Rathee joins Prakash Raj at Bengaluru’s anti-SIR protest.
- Cockroach Janta Party organizes
- Event addresses electoral roll revision, attracting multiple activist groups.
- Protest follows Opposition leaders’ anti-SIR demonstrations in Delhi.
YouTuber and political commentator Dhruv Rathee is set to join actor and activist Prakash Raj at an anti-SIR protest in Bengaluru on Thursday, after Raj revealed him as the “special guest” he had teased a day earlier. The protest, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), is scheduled to take place at Freedom Park from 10:30 am on October 8. The event will include a mass Chappal protest and a People’s Tribunal focused on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka.
Prakash Raj Reveals Surprise Guest
Prakash Raj had on Wednesday urged people to gather at Freedom Park and announced that a special guest would attend the protest. He later returned to social media to disclose that Rathee would be joining the event.
Introducing Rathee as a prominent voice supporting the protest, Raj said: “Hi everyone. In the morning video, I had promised you that we will be announcing a very special guest. A voice with a spine, who will be joining us at Freedom Park, Bengaluru. That’s none other than Dhruv Rathee. Dhruv Rathee, first time in Bengaluru! In support of scrap SIR!” the actor said in a social media video.
Rathee subsequently confirmed that he would be present in Bengaluru. In a video shared on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke introduced him as the surprise guest and appealed to people to attend the gathering.
“Gyanesh, it’s done bro. Jai Hind,” Rathee wrote in the post.
Gyanesh, it’s done bro Jai Hind 🇮🇳 https://t.co/XHaTlRizXS
— Dhruv Rathee (@dhruv_rathee) October 7, 2026
Aishe Ghosh, Neha Bora To Attend
Raj has also named several other individuals and groups expected to participate in the Freedom Park gathering.
“Please come in large numbers! Stand with all the cockroaches who will be there. Aishe Ghosh will be there. Neha Bora will be there. All young organisations will be there. Civil Society will be there. And the victims of SIR from across the districts of Karnataka will be there. Let’s come together to raise our voice in solidarity against this draconian SIR!” the actor said.
According to the organisers, the event will bring together participants from different parts of Karnataka. CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka said the programme would also feature a People’s Tribunal, where organisers plan to interact with people they say have been removed from the electoral rolls.
The protest is scheduled to begin at 10:30 am at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.
CJP Plans People’s Tribunal
The CJP, led by founder Abhijeet Dipke, has planned the protest around concerns over the SIR exercise in Karnataka. The October 8 programme will combine the Chappal protest with the People’s Tribunal.
Ranka said the organisers would attend “the People’s tribunal on SIR, interacting with Kannadigas who have been wrongfully removed from the voters list.”
The event comes amid a wider political dispute over the revision of electoral rolls, with Opposition parties and civil society groups raising questions about the process and its impact on voters.
Rahul Gandhi Protest In Delhi
The Bengaluru gathering comes a day after Opposition MPs staged a protest in Delhi over the SIR exercise and other electoral issues.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, along with other Opposition MPs, had gone to Jantar Mantar for a march seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstrators were stopped by Delhi Police near the designated protest location.
Gandhi was seen resisting attempts by police personnel to move him from the area. Priyanka Gandhi and other Opposition MPs were also present as police intervened.
Gandhi and other leaders were subsequently removed from the spot and taken away in a tempo traveller. The leaders were later released.
Who Is Dhruv Rathee?
Dhruv Rathee is an Indian YouTuber, vlogger and political commentator known for videos dealing with political and social issues, including explanatory and fact-checking content.
Born in Haryana, Rathee studied mechanical engineering in Germany before establishing a significant online following through his videos. He has also recently been in the news over comments related to the Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar The Revenge.
His appearance at Thursday’s Bengaluru protest is expected to add another prominent voice to the gathering, which has been organised around opposition to the SIR exercise.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
