‘Illegal detention has finally ended’: CJP’s Ashutosh Ranka says after release by Assam Police

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka and other members of the organisation were released on Sunday after being detained by Assam Police ahead of a planned volunteers’ meeting in Guwahati. Following his release, Ranka described the police action as an “illegal detention” and said it had “finally ended”, after the episode triggered protests from CJP leaders and Opposition parties in Assam.

Ranka and several CJP volunteers had been detained earlier in the day as the organisation prepared to hold its first regional volunteers’ meeting in Assam. The CJP maintained that the gathering was peaceful and alleged that its members were taken into custody without being informed of the grounds for the action.

Meeting disrupted

The CJP had initially planned its meeting at Assam Shree Parshuram Seva Sadan on Kharga Choudhury Road in Athgaon. The venue was subsequently shifted to Chowdhury Tila near the Assam Secretariat after the organisers alleged that pressure had been exerted on the original venue to cancel the booking.

More than 30 CJP workers, including members of its central committee, were detained as police prevented the gathering from proceeding. Ranka alleged before his detention that police personnel had been stopping volunteers since morning despite the meeting being planned on private property.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also alleged that lawyers were initially prevented from meeting the detained members and claimed the organisation had not been informed about the legal grounds for their detention. He had threatened to travel to Assam with other CJP members if Ranka and the volunteers were not released.

Ranka targets Assam government

Before being taken into custody, Ranka accused the Assam government of attempting to prevent the organisation from raising questions about the condition of government schools, floods, land and other issues in the state. He also targeted Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging that the government was apprehensive about the CJP highlighting these issues.

The CJP had said its Assam programme included meetings with volunteers as part of its effort to expand its organisational presence in the Northeast. Its leaders had also indicated plans to visit government schools and interact with people affected by issues including electoral roll revision.

The organisation’s representatives had met leaders of the Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal a day before the detention. Discussions during the meeting included floods and other issues affecting Assam as well as the CJP’s proposed activities in the state.

Opposition condemns action

The detentions drew criticism from Opposition parties in Assam, with Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad and AAP leaders questioning the police action. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi described the detention of the activists as unacceptable and questioned why people gathering peacefully should be prevented from meeting.

The Opposition criticism centred on the right to peaceful assembly and political activity, while the CJP maintained that its programme did not pose a law-and-order threat. The organisation repeatedly demanded the immediate release of all those detained during the day.

With Ranka and the other detainees subsequently released, the immediate confrontation ended on Sunday evening. The CJP, however, continued to question the basis of the police action and indicated that it would press ahead with its activities in Assam.