Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Assam Police detained at least 35 members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Guwahati on Sunday, September 27. The detainees include co-convener Ashutosh Ranka, East and North-East in-charge Ankit Bhardwaj, joint secretary Premakash Golu, and Assam coordinator Sahil. The party claims the total number of people held is closer to 50, though that figure remains unverified.
The group was arrested while gathering for a regional volunteers' meeting. They initially planned to meet at Assam Shree Parshuram Seva Sadan on Kharga Choudhury Road in Athgaon. Organizers shifted the venue to Chowdhury Tila, opposite the Assam Secretariat, after alleging pressure on the original site. Police reportedly barricaded the area before the meeting started. Detainees included local volunteers and three participants from Nagaland, including one 72-year-old woman. Activist Arghadeep Baruah was also taken to the 10th Assam Police Battalion.
Before his arrest, Ranka accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of shielding state corruption. He cited poor school conditions and land rights issues in Kaziranga as primary concerns. "Why is Himanta Biswa Sarma afraid of people seeing the actual condition of schools in Assam? He knows the situation would become known across the country," Ranka said. The party also faces scrutiny after displaying a distorted map of Assam during a subsequent press conference.
CJP members launched an indefinite hunger strike inside a police campus after authorities failed to release them by a 5 p.m. deadline. Party founder Abhijeet Dipke demanded immediate transparency regarding the reasons for the detention, claiming lawyers were initially denied access to the group. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi condemned the action as illegal. He questioned the ruling party's motives, asking, "Why is the BJP so scared of the youth?" A follow-up press conference featured speakers from the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar and the Asom Nagarik Sanmilan to address the ongoing situation.
Updated at 28th September 2026 at 1:47am
The detained party members, including Ranka and Sahiluddin Shah, were held for over 12 hours before their release around 10 p.m. Authorities had initially transported the group to the 10th Assam Police Battalion headquarters in Kahilipara. Six women volunteers, who had been picked up separately while traveling to the venue, were released earlier that afternoon at 4:30 p.m.
Ranka confirmed the group was released on the condition that police drop them back at the site where they were originally detained. Following his release, Ranka stated, The illegal detention by Assam Police has finally ended. We have asked police to go and drop us from where we were picked up in the first place.
The standoff concluded after police reportedly accepted the demands raised by the party, though specific details regarding those terms remain undisclosed. This development followed a tense day where the party had braced for further escalation, including a planned 5:30 p.m. press conference if their members remained in custody.
The incident followed meetings held a day earlier between CJP leaders and representatives from regional political groups, including the Raijor Dal and the Asom Jatiya Parishad. CJP officials stated the arrests would not derail their plans to expand operations in the region and continue their advocacy regarding electoral roll revisions and local infrastructure.
Updated at 28th September 2026 at 9:47am
CJP protester Ananya Saikia publicly labeled Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma a coward, accusing the state government of targeting young voices that question its agenda. Saikia contended that while the ruling party relies on paid crowds to fill its events, CJP gatherings draw voluntary participants who are genuinely concerned about the state, including ongoing flood management failures.
Sarma hit back at critics through social media, shifting focus to his administration's law and order record. He cited a jump in the state conviction rate from 8 percent in 2020 to 29.3 percent by July 2026. The Chief Minister declared that the government would not ease its pressure on what he described as illegal networks and anti-social elements, explicitly warning that there would be no leniency until the region is crime-free.
Updated at 28th September 2026 at 2:00pm
Beyond the local standoff, the CJP is broadening its scope of attack. National spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka announced on Monday that the party will trigger a nationwide agitation starting October 2. The group is demanding the immediate resignation of Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of betraying the country's population.
Ranka also leveled fresh allegations regarding the state's electoral integrity. He claims the recent redrawing of assembly constituency boundaries in Assam was a calculated maneuver rigged to favor Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. While the party pushes this new national agenda, they continue to face friction, including unresolved questions over the use of a distorted map of Assam during their recent press briefing.
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