Guwahati: Several leaders and volunteers of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including national spokesperson and co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, were detained by police in Guwahati ahead of a planned regional volunteer meeting.
According to the party, around 47 CJP members were detained. Among those reportedly detained were national-level leaders Ankit Bhardwaj, Anam, Akash Prem and Varun Agarwal, along with local volunteers.
The detainees were reportedly kept at the campus of the 10th Assam Police Battalion. However, at the time of reporting, there was no official statement from Assam Police clarifying the exact number of people detained, the legal grounds for the action or the reason for preventing the meeting.
The CJP had organised its first regional volunteer meeting in Guwahati to strengthen its organisation in Assam and the Northeast and interact with local volunteers. Party leaders said the programme was intended to discuss education, elections and other social issues.
The party claimed that a marriage hall booked for the meeting was later cancelled following pressure. CJP leaders said the proposed meeting was a normal organisational programme and that there was no plan for any violent or law-and-order-related activity.
The leaders were reportedly detained from the residence of Assam Jatiya Parishad leader Kunki Choudhury, where the meeting was scheduled to take place.
Before his detention, CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka criticised the Assam government and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Ranka alleged that the government was trying to stop the party from expanding its activities in the state.
Ranka also raised allegations of irregularities during previous Assam Assembly elections. These allegations were made by the CJP and had not been independently established in the information available at the time of reporting.
CJP Planned School Visits
Apart from the regional meeting, CJP leaders had planned to visit several schools in Assam.
According to the party, the purpose was to understand problems in the education system and speak with teachers, parents and local residents. The party said it had already collected information about education-related problems in different areas and wanted to hear directly from local communities.
CJP founder Abhijit Deepak also reacted to the detention of the party’s leaders and demanded an explanation from the Assam government.
The party alleged that its leaders were detained without being allowed to hold the planned meeting. It also claimed that people who went to meet the detained members were stopped.
CJP leaders further alleged that lawyers, including three High Court advocates, were prevented from meeting the detained leaders. These claims were made by the party and had not been independently confirmed at the time of reporting.
Joint Opposition to Detention
Following the incident, CJP, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Assam Nagarik Sammelan held a joint press conference and demanded the immediate release of the detained leaders and members.
CJP supporters described the detention of Ranka, Anam, Akash and Ankit Bhardwaj as “illegal” and demanded that the government explain the basis for the action.
Supporters also warned that the situation could become more tense if the government ignored their demands.
Leaders Released, CJP Says Movement Will Continue
The detained CJP members were later released, with the release taking place after supporters reportedly staged a brief hunger strike inside a police facility.
Following their release, Ranka and other CJP leaders said the party would continue its activities and expand its organisation across Assam and the Northeast.
The detention has raised several questions, including the exact number of people detained, the legal basis for the action and why the proposed meeting was stopped.
With the detainees now released, attention is likely to remain on the explanation from Assam Police and the state government regarding the circumstances surrounding the detention.
