NHRC demands report on alleged use of minors as shields at Mumbai CJP protest

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has stepped in following a mass protest in Mumbai, ordering an investigation into allegations that children were used as human shields to block police action.

On Saturday, the human rights watchdog issued a formal notice demanding an "Action Taken Report" from the police. The intervention comes after claims emerged that minors were positioned strategically at the front of the demonstration to prevent officers from dispersing the crowd.

The protest took place on Friday, coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, at the city’s Shivaji Park. Organised by the youth pressure group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the rally went ahead despite Mumbai Police explicitly refusing to grant permission.

Why the NHRC is intervening

According to allegations submitted to the NHRC, organisers placed minors at key points around the protest site. The commission wants to establish whether children were deliberately put in harm's way to neutralise any potential police crackdown on the unauthorised gathering.

Mumbai Police have been asked to investigate the matter and submit their findings detailing the involvement of minors at the site.

What sparked the Shivaji Park protest

The demonstration drew thousands of people, including high-profile Bollywood figures such as actors Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, alongside filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj and Vishal Dadlani.

They gathered to demand the immediate removal of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar. The protest was triggered by reports of a serious internal rift at the top of India's election watchdog.

Reports emerged last month that the two other Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had repeatedly clashed with the CEC. The pair reportedly raised objections 14 times over a 10-month period, claiming major decisions—including those concerning the special intensive revision of electoral rolls—were made without their knowledge or consent.

What happens next

The CJP has not yet formally responded to the NHRC's notice, but the group is already planning to escalate its campaign.

Organisers have announced that if Gyanesh Kumar does not resign or get removed from his post, they will launch a new wave of protests in the national capital. The group has set a deadline of 10 October to begin demonstrations at Delhi's designated protest site, Jantar Mantar.

This is the same venue where the CJP led highly publicised youth protests in June and July over the NEET paper leak scandal. Those demonstrations, which demanded the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, only stopped after Pradhan stepped down on 25 July.