An alliance of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters, Opposition and student organisation leaders hit the streets in Delhi and Mumbai on Friday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar amid allegations of irregularities in the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Over 700 persons were detained in Delhi as they tried to breach barricades and march towards Jantar Mantar, a move the police foiled, deploying force later in the day.In Mumbai, Shivaji Park grounds saw a massive gathering of supporters as Abhijeet Dipke-led CJP cadres raised banners and placards with some reading, “Gyanu, it is done bro!” and “The janta has a spine, Gyanu must resign.”In Delhi, Internet services remained suspended in and around Jantar Mantar with the police not allowing anyone to breach barriers to enter the site, where the CJP had led a massive protest that had culminated in the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July. Dipke on Friday said, “The government is so ineffective that we have had to return to the streets barely two months after our protests in Jantar Mantar in July.”He also dared Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis to arrest the agitating youth as hundreds waved flags demanding Kumar’s ouster. The CJP said Friday’s protests were a commencement of a month-long agitation across India, which will end with a rally in Delhi.Activist Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson, was also present during the protests timed with Gandhi Jayanti. Activists from Left-affiliated student bodies, SFI and AISF, joined as did actors Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah and singer Vishal Dadlani.Meanwhile, the Delhi Police did not allow protesters to enter Jantar Mantar on Friday, saying there was no permission for an agitation at the site. Protesters were stopped along all arterial roads as the police made public announcements asking people not to gather at Jantar Mantar in the absence of permission for a protest. Entry and exit gates of 12 metro stations in Delhi were also shut all day and reopened at 9 pm. No online transactions were possible in key markets, including Connaught Place.The police said around 700 protesters were detained in Delhi before being let off. These included AAP leaders Atishi, Sanjay Singh, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjeev Jha, CPM general secretary MA Baby and leader Brinda Karat, CPI national secretary P Sandosh Kumar, RJD leader Manoj Jha, activist Yogendra Yadav, AISA president Neha Bora, Rajya Sabha member AA Rahim and former Jawaharlal Nehru Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh.Indian Youth Congress workers also joined the protest ahead of a joint call for agitation by the Opposition on the same issue on October 6.Meanwhile, Kumar has not responded to allegations and the EC has maintained that the SIR exercise has been upheld by the Supreme Court and is lawful. It has said that the exercise aims to remove duplicate, deceased and ineligible voters.Dipke calls for Delhi stir on October 10CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said if CEC Gyanesh Kumar doesn’t resign, “cockroaches” from across India will march to Delhi and protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10.He said, “If the Delhi Police tries to stop us, wherever they stop us will become our Jantar Mantar. Ours will be a peaceful andolan. We will walk on the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi.”“It is up to the government and the Delhi Police whether they respect our right to peaceful protest or repeat the brutality we saw on July 20. Every citizen who wants free and fair elections must join,” he added.75-year-old dies of heart attack after attending protestA 75-year-old Thane resident, Gopalakrishna Subbaiya Pillai, died of heart attack after he complained of chest pain while attending the CJP protest at Shivaji Park on Friday evening, the police said.He had reached Shivaji Park around 4.30 pm. Around 5 pm, Pillai felt uneasy and complained of chest pain. His friend and the police personnel deployed at the site came to his aid. A doctor gave him preliminary treatment before he was taken to Sushrusha Hospital in Shivaji Park. His condition deteriorated despite treatment. He was declared dead at the hospital.