30 CJP Volunteers including Ashutosh Ranka Detained in Guwahati Ahead of Regional Meeting
On Sunday, September 27, 2026, Assam Police detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convener and chief spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka along with more than 30 party workers and volunteers in Guwahati,
GUWAHATI- On Sunday, September 27, 2026, Assam Police detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convener and chief spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka along with more than 30 party workers and volunteers in Guwahati, disrupting the organisation’s first regional volunteers’ meeting in the state. The detentions, which CJP described as a targeted crackdown on a peaceful gathering, occurred hours before the scheduled event near the Assam Secretariat in Dispur. By evening, at least 35 detainees, including Ranka, had begun an indefinite hunger strike inside a police campus demanding their release.
Ranka had arrived in Guwahati on Saturday, September 26, along with other CJP members including Ankit Bhardwaj (East and North-East in-charge), Prem Aakash, Varun Agrawal, and Anam. The group planned the meeting to organise local volunteers, discuss the “School Thik Karo” campaign, outreach to families affected by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR/Special Revision) of electoral rolls, and broader issues such as flooding and land rights around Kaziranga.
The original venue was Assam Shree Parshuram Seva Sadan on Kharga Choudhury Road in Athgaon. CJP alleged that the booking was cancelled under pressure from the state administration, forcing a last-minute shift to Chowdhury Tila (Chaudhary Tila), a hilltop site opposite the Assam Secretariat. Police barricaded access roads to the backup venue from both sides and deployed tear-gas equipment. Volunteers approaching in small groups, some carrying banners, were intercepted and detained.
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Reports indicated that Ranka and others were picked up while moving toward the site. Additional attendees, including some from Nagaland and local Assam volunteers, were also taken into custody. CJP claimed the total number detained reached around 50 (including central committee members), though independent confirmation of the higher figure was not available; most reports settled on more than 30.
Videos shared on social media showed Ranka being taken away in a police vehicle/bus while speaking to reporters and raising slogans. Lawyers who reached the detention site were allegedly denied entry to meet the detainees, and mobile phones of some members were reportedly seized, according to CJP.
CJP’s Statements
CJP strongly condemned the action as undemocratic and an attempt to suppress legitimate organisational activity. In a formal statement, the party said: Assam Police barricaded the venue of the first regional volunteers’ meet-up and detained Ranka along with volunteers as they were going to the site. “Authorities deployed tear-gas equipment and systematically intercepted incoming attendees.” It demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Ranka and all detained volunteers, plus an explanation for the police blockade and the “forced cancellation” of the original venue. The organisation affirmed that its grassroots work in Assam—particularly the “School Thik Karo” education campaign and outreach to families affected by electoral roll revision—would continue.
Before and during detention, Ranka accused the Assam government and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of acting out of fear. Speaking to reporters while being taken away, he said: “Himanta Biswa Sarma is scared that if we show the reality of schools in Assam, the country will come to know about their condition. 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.” In posts on X, Ranka had earlier noted: “The entire road leading to the meet-up site has been barricaded from both sides. Assam police is ready with tear gas. Our volunteers are being detained. No one is being allowed to reach the meet-up site. Why is Assam govt so scared of @Cockroachisback?” He also alleged threats against members and claimed the action aimed to prevent questioning of schools, land issues, “man-made” floods, and alleged electoral irregularities.
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CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke posted on X: “Assam Police has detained @AshutoshRanka and CJP team and taking them to an unknown location. Ashu and co were going to have a small volunteers meet up in Assam.” He later stated: “Ashu 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 also alleged that lawyers were being kept outside the detention facility. Other CJP voices, including legal affairs head Ratna Singh and spokesperson Saurav Das, criticised the detentions as arbitrary curtailment of democratic rights and “rule of whim.”
Later in the day, after the party’s demand for release by 5 pm went unmet, 35 members—including Ranka, Ankit Bhardwaj, Premakash Golu, Assam Coordinator Sahil, and others—began an indefinite hunger strike inside the police campus. CJP said the strike would continue until all were released and appealed for media coverage while pledging to pursue the matter through legal and democratic means.
Assam Police Statement
As of the latest available reports on September 27, Assam Police had not issued any public statement explaining the grounds for the detentions, the exact number of people held, the specific charges (if any), or the location of the detainees. Multiple outlets noted the absence of an official police response.
Statement from CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
There was no reported public statement or reaction from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma specifically addressing the CJP detentions or the disrupted meeting as of the coverage on September 27. CJP leaders and protesters repeatedly directed criticism at him, alleging the action reflected fear of exposure on schools, Kaziranga land/forest/water issues, floods, and electoral matters.
Further Developments and Reactions
Congress MP and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi condemned the detentions as “completely unacceptable, unjustified, and illegal,” questioning why the BJP government was “so scared of the youth.” The APCC Legal Cell filed a complaint at Dispur Police Station, alleging that individuals in Assam Police uniforms entered private property without notice or warrant and took people away. Some reports noted a distorted map of Assam used as a backdrop in a related CJP interaction, which drew scrutiny.
The incident marked a flashpoint in CJP’s expanding activities in the Northeast. The organisation insisted its planned work in Assam would proceed despite the setback. Developments, including the status of the hunger strike and any formal charges or releases, were still unfolding as of late Sunday.
