CJP Leader Ashutosh Ranka, Volunteers Detained Ahead Of Guwahati Meet-Up

Several Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders and volunteers, including national spokesperson and co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka and East and Northeast zone in-charge Ankit Bhardwaj have been detained by Guwahati Police.

Ranka and members of the CJP's central team were in Guwahati for the party's first regional volunteers' meeting in the city. The party said the programme was part of its ongoing outreach in Assam and the Northeast.

CJP said Ranka, Bhardwaj and other members of the central team, along with Assam volunteers, were detained before the meeting could be held. They also alleged that the venue had been changed following pressure.

At least four national-level CJP leaders were in Assam for the programme, including Bhardwaj, Akash Prem, Varun Agrawal and Anam. Ranka reached Guwahati on Saturday.

The party had planned meetings with local volunteers as well as visits to schools and interactions with families over issues concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Speaking to the media before his detention, Ranka targeted Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and alleged that the government was trying to stop the CJP's activities in the state.

"Himanta Biswa Sarma is scared of the way trucks were rammed into people in Assam and hundreds of people lost their lives. But we are not afraid of Himanta Biswa Sarma," Ranka said.

Ranka also alleged manipulation during the previous Assembly election.

"We know how you sealed the boundaries of the Assembly constituencies during the election. People from one village went and voted in three different Assembly constituencies, only because you wanted to win the election through electoral manipulation," he alleged.

On Saturday, Ranka had said the CJP was receiving support in Assam and other parts of the Northeast.

"The Cockroach Janata Party movement is spreading across the country, and we have received tremendous support in the Northeast, especially in Assam," he had said.

He said CJP members from Assam had been part of the movement at Jantar Mantar from its early days.

"We will be visiting schools and meeting various families to discuss issues related to the education system. We will also meet our local volunteers who have been working hard here for months," Ranka said.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke criticised the reported detentions and questioned the Assam government over the police action.

There was no official statement from Guwahati Police on Sunday on the number of people detained or the reasons for the detentions.