The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Sunday questioned the Assam government over the Ashutosh Ranka and other party volunteers in Guwahati, saying that no legal notice or detention sections were communicated against its leaders and demanded their immediate release.
CJP founder Dipke earlier today claimed that the outfit’s co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka and several of his supporters have been detained by police here and taken to an unknown location ahead of a “small volunteers meet-up”.
Ranka, who reached Guwahati a day ago, was scheduled to meet some CJP supporters during the day. Dipke claimed that the outfit’s leaders were prevented from holding the meeting.
Addressing a presser on the matter, the CJP unit in Guwahati claimed that a total of 41 people, including six women, were detained, including co-convener Ashutosh Ranka. The The CJP said that action was taken ahead of the volunteer meeting that was scheduled at a private residence. The party said that the venue for their meeting was changed after an earlier booked venue had become unavailable.
The CJP had planned to discuss government schools, youth, and NGO-related issues in the state. The CJP raised alleged poor conditions in government schools. It also planned to raise Kaziranga eviction, activist arrest issues, floods, among other issues.
The Cockroach Party said that no legal notice or detention sections were communicated, demanding an immediate release of detained members.
The CJP said that it is considering legal action over detentions. However, a statement from Assam police is yet awaited.
Ranka Claims CM ‘Himanta Is Scared’ After Detention
After CJP’s co-convener was detained, a video was shared on Ranka’s X account, showing him sitting in a moving vehicle with police and purportedly heard saying that CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has detained him and CJP volunteers as he was “afraid” of the people of Assam as the outfit wants to “expose” the reality of schools.
Talking to reporters while being whisked away by police, Ranka said the action shows that CM Sarma was “afraid of being exposed”.
“He is scared that if we show the schools here, the country will know the reality. He is afraid that people will know how their rights were being snatched in Kaziranga for the benefit of the corporates. But we are not afraid of him. We know that he won the Assembly election by redrawing boundaries of constituencies,” Ranka added.
Dipke Says Himanta Can Arrest Them All, Will Visit Assam If Ranka Not Released
Backing party colleague and co-convener, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke took to X and said, “Ashu (Ashutosh Ranka) was picked up by Assam Police from a private residence. They have still not been told under what charges or on what grounds he has been detained.”
“If Ashu is not released, I will go to Assam along with other CJP members. Himanta can arrest us all,” Dipke added.