Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convener Ashutosh Ranka and several party members are detained by Assam Police in Guwahati on Sunday, reports say. The detention occurs shortly before the CJP’s planned regional volunteers’ meeting near the Assam Secretariat, where Ranka was scheduled to participate.
Ranka and the party allege the move is intended to prevent them from highlighting conditions in Assam’s government schools. He says Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is “scared” that their campaign will expose the reality of school conditions to a wider audience. Multiple outlets repeat this claim, framing it as the reason Ranka offers for why police detain him and his team.
Alongside the school-focused allegations, Ranka also accuses the Assam government of taking away rights of people in Kaziranga and says land, forests and water are being transferred to corporates. In the articles, Assam Police does not provide an immediate, detailed explanation for the detention, leaving the specific grounds unclear as the reports describe the situation as developing.