Several volunteers of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, were detained by Assam Police in Guwahati on Sunday, September 27, ahead of a scheduled regional volunteers' meet-up. The development was confirmed by the group, which alleged that police prevented its members from reaching the venue.
According to a statement issued by the CJP, police barricaded roads leading to the venue near the Assam Secretariat and intercepted people arriving for the meeting. The group also claimed that tear-gas equipment had been deployed, although the reported accounts did not establish whether it was used.
Ranka, who had arrived in Guwahati on Saturday to address the meeting, was detained along with other volunteers while travelling to the venue. The exact number of people detained and the police stations where they were being held were initially unclear.
What did Ashutosh Ranka say?
Before his detention, Ranka alleged that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was trying to prevent the group from highlighting issues concerning government schools and other matters in the state.
In a post on X, Ranka also alleged that the state government was concerned about the CJP's activities relating to schools, Kaziranga National Park and the state's floods. These are allegations made by Ranka and were not independently established in the reports.
The CJP said its volunteers had gathered for a peaceful meeting to discuss issues including the education system. It said it would continue its campaign despite the detentions.
Abhijeet Dipke reacts
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also spoke about the detentions, alleging that the volunteers were being taken to an unknown location. He later said lawyers were present outside the location where Ranka and other members were detained but were allegedly not being allowed to meet them.
The group has been conducting campaigns in Assam, including outreach to families affected by the revision of electoral rolls and its "School Thik Karo" campaign. Ranka had announced plans to meet families affected by the voter-list revision and visit schools in the state.
The situation remains developing, with the circumstances and legal basis for the detentions yet to be fully detailed in the reports available so far.
