Several Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) volunteers detained in Guwahati on Sunday have alleged that they were not provided food for nearly 24 hours while in custody.
The volunteers were detained while they were travelling to attend the party's first volunteers' meet in the city. Among those detained were CJP National Co-Convenor Ashutosh Ranka, East and North-East In-charge Ankit Bhardwaj, Joint Secretary Premakash Golu and Assam Coordinator Sahil.
CJP questions basis for detentions
The CJP has questioned the legal grounds for the detentions, alleging that authorities did not provide any official order or explanation for the action.
The party alleged that the Assam Police acted at the direction of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to prevent volunteers from attending a peaceful gathering.
“This is a direct attempt to suppress democratic dialogue and intimidate volunteers who have come together to raise public issues. Such measures will not deter our movement, and we will continue to work peacefully and democratically in Assam,” the party said in a statement.
Speaking to the media at Chowdhury Tila, opposite the Assam Secretariat, Ranka discussed the party's plans for Assam and the wider Northeast.
Ranka raises delimitation concerns
Ranka also spoke about Assam's electoral roll revision and constituency delimitation.
He said Assam underwent a Special Revision (SR), rather than a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), involving door-to-door verification without a general requirement for voters to submit documents.
He also raised concerns about the 2023 delimitation of constituencies, citing accounts from residents who claimed that a single village had been divided between different electoral areas.
“These arrangements amount to deliberate gerrymandering and were designed to benefit chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma politically. The chief minister cannot evade accountability. We demand scrutiny of these boundaries against official constituency maps and delimitation records,” Ranka alleged.
The allegations regarding constituency boundaries are separate from the Special Revision of electoral rolls.
CJP outlines campaign plans
Ranka said the party would continue its “School Thik Karo” campaign, under which volunteers will visit government schools to document infrastructure, teacher availability and basic facilities.
He also said CJP plans to establish volunteer units across the northeastern states, with priority given to Assam. The units will focus on documenting public grievances and coordinating campaigns, including school visits, electoral roll scrutiny and public outreach.