Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka has alleged that the detention of him and several party leaders and volunteers by Assam Police was intended to intimidate the organisation, saying, “The more you suppress, the more the revolution will spread.”
Ranka was detained in Guwahati on Sunday along with several CJP leaders and volunteers, shortly before the organisation’s first regional volunteers’ meeting near the Assam Secretariat. He was later released. Reports said more than 30 CJP workers were detained, while other reports put the number at over 40.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ranka alleged that the police action was illegal and claimed that CJP members were picked up from private property without being told why they were being detained.
“It wasn’t a detention. It was completely illegal because they picked us up from private property. We don’t call this detention; we call this kidnapping,” he said.
Ranka further alleged that when the group questioned the police about the grounds for their detention, officers only said they had “orders from above”.
“When we asked the police on what grounds we were detained, their only reply was, ‘Sir, we have orders from above, so we arrested you, detained you.’ And even after that, when we continuously asked while we were there, they couldn’t give us any other reason,” he alleged.
Assam Police has not publicly provided, in the sources reviewed, a detailed explanation for the detentions. The CJP had described the proposed gathering as a peaceful meeting on private property.
Ranka said CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had initially planned to travel to Assam following the detentions but would now remain focused on preparations for the organisation’s proposed October 2 protest over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and its demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“Abhijit’s plan was based on our arrest yesterday. But as I’ve been released, Abhijit is not coming. He is busy preparing for the protest planned for October 2nd regarding SIR and Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation,” Ranka told reporters.
Ranka accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of trying to intimidate the organisation.
“The government’s intention was to bully us. Hemanta Biswa Sarma wanted to intimidate us, but Hemanta Biswa Sarma made the same mistake that Amit Shah made on July 20th. The more you suppress, the more the revolution will spread,” he said.
“Now, Assam CJP will see how students and youth issues will be raised in the coming times,” Ranka added.
CJP plans expansion in Northeast
Ranka said CJP would expand its activities in Assam and other Northeastern states, with a focus on issues affecting students and young people.
“There are many issues in Assam; there are a lot of local issues here. The condition of schools here is very poor, especially in the remote areas where most schools don’t even have their own buildings,” he said.
“A complete facade has been created in the name of development, but we want the country to see the reality of that development,” Ranka added.
He said the organisation would also raise concerns related to floods, Kaziranga and other local issues before taking its campaign to other Northeastern states.
“All the student and youth-centric issues that the youth of Assam have been struggling with for a long time, we will work on all of them in the coming time. We will definitely go to other Northeast states. We have received a very good response, a very good support,” Ranka said.
CJP to begin nationwide protest on October 2
Ranka said CJP would begin a nationwide protest on October 2 over its demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
“It will happen now. For 48 hours, the ball was in Gyanesh Kumar’s court. Now the ball is in CJP’s court. We’ll start our nationwide protest from 2nd October, and we won’t back down until Ganeshkumar resigns,” he said.
Ranka also alleged that more than 13 crore people had been removed from electoral rolls and questioned the process of redrawing electoral boundaries in Assam. These claims have been made by Ranka and CJP and have not been independently established.
The dispute comes amid a wider row over the Election Commission’s handling of the SIR exercise. An Indian Express report said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections to decisions linked to the exercise on several occasions.
The Election Commission has rejected suggestions of internal disagreement, saying decisions related to SIR were taken with the “unanimous approval of the Commission”.
Mumbai protest row
Ranka also criticised the reported denial of permission for CJP’s proposed October 2 protest in Mumbai.
“Who gave Ganeshkumar permission to remove the names of 13 crore people? Who gave permission? The fake way they redrew the assembly boundaries here, who gave permission to Ganeshkumar for that?” he asked.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had earlier said Mumbai Police denied permission for the protest at Shivaji Park and threatened a “Jail Bharo Andolan” if the organisation was not allowed to hold it. The police said the issue involved restrictions on gatherings at Shivaji Park and advised organisers to seek an alternative venue.
The Guwahati detentions came a day after CJP leaders met representatives of Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal.
Bureau Report
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