75-year-old man complains of chest pain at CJP protest, dies after hospitalisation

A 75-year-old man who travelled nearly 30 km from Thane to Mumbai’s Shivaji Park to attend the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest died of a heart attack after complaining of chest pain at the site.According to the police, Gopalakrishna Subbaiya Pillai, a resident of Dosti West County, B Wing, Thane, arrived at around 4:30 pm to attend the protest. About half an hour later, he complained of chest pain.He was rushed to the nearby Sushrusha Hospital in Shivaji Park, where he died of a heart attack while receiving treatment.Thousands of people gathered at Shivaji Park on Friday for a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstration began at around 4 pm in very sunny conditions, with large crowds thronging the vicinity of the iconic ground despite the absence of police permission. At the protest, CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke warned of "Jantar Mantar 2.0" if Gyanesh Kumar did not step down. While addressing the gathering, Dipke also attacked the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde said, "Gyanesh Kumar must resign and face criminal proceedings." He also called for the voter lists of 2025 to be frozen and for the 2023 law that lays down the procedure for the appointment of Election Commissioners to be scrapped. Dipke alleged that after the "deletion of voters", the BJP won states that it had not managed to win even when the Narendra Modi wave was at its peak. The protest drew thousands of attendees as the party pressed its demands from the stage at Shivaji Park.The demonstration, held without police permission, saw a strong turnout as CJP leaders sought Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, raised objections to the 2025 voter lists and the 2023 appointments law, and sharpened their attack on the BJP and its top leaders.- EndsInputs from PTI