Several volunteers of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including its co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, were allegedly detained by Assam Police in Guwahati, the CJP said
According to a statement issued by the group, Ranka and other CJP volunteers were detained in Assam ahead of a regional meet-up scheduled in the northeastern state.
In its statement to media, the CJP said, “Hours before the gathering was set to begin, Assam Police personnel heavily barricaded the access roads leading to Chowdhury Tila from both sides, located directly opposite the Assam Secretariat. Authorities deployed tear-gas equipment and systematically intercepted incoming attendees. Ashutosh Ranka, who arrived in Guwahati yesterday to address the meeting, was detained by police alongside volunteers on his way to the venue. The exact number of detained volunteers and the local police stations where they are being held remain unconfirmed, as authorities have yet to communicate any official justification for the clampdown.”
The CJP had scheduled its first regional volunteers’ meeting in Guwahati, with several party leaders and volunteers expected to participate. According to the organisation’s leadership, Assam Police blocked access to the venue and intercepted individuals attempting to reach the location.
Ranka, who was among those allegedly detained, had been in Assam since Saturday and was slated to address the meeting. He had earlier said that the CJP planned to meet families affected by the revision of electoral rolls and visit government schools to assess their condition.
Ranka also criticised the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government over the detention of CJP members and volunteers. He further alleged that the state government had issued threats to CJP members in Assam.
In a video released after his detention, Ranka alleged that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was afraid of the CJP’s plans to highlight the state’s conditions. He said the group intended to draw attention to the state of government schools, the situation in Kaziranga and what he described as “man-made floods” in Assam.
Ranka further alleged that he and other CJP members were detained and threatened to prevent them from raising these issues. “But he has forgotten that it is not easy to scare the people of this soil,” he said.
The CJP has called for the immediate release of Ranka and the other detained volunteers, asserting that its grassroots campaign in Assam would continue despite the police action.
