Assam Police detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenor and spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka and several party workers in Guwahati on Sunday, September 27, prompting allegations that the government was trying to silence young people raising questions about public issues. CJP protester Ananya Saikia accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of being a “coward” and of attempting to project a rosy picture of the state.
Ranka and other members were detained shortly after arriving for a regional volunteers’ meeting. Saikia said the volunteers had gathered peacefully on private property to discuss public concerns rather than stage a protest. The CJP has alleged that more than 30 workers, including central committee members, were taken into custody. It also claimed that about 50 people were detained, although that figure could not be independently verified.
“Our CM is a coward. He is afraid of youth like us,” Saikia told India Today NE. She alleged that the government was uncomfortable with young people questioning its functioning and trying to present Assam as being in good condition.
The CJP said its volunteers were raising concerns about the state of government schools, flooding, and ecologically sensitive areas such as Kaziranga. Before his detention, Ranka also accused Sarma of seeking to prevent questions about land, forests and water around the national park.
Saikia claimed the voluntary attendance at the CJP meeting reflected public support for the group’s agenda. “If there is a BJP meeting, the government makes people afraid and gives money to people so that they come. But in a CJP meeting, people are coming voluntarily,” she said. She also questioned the state government’s commitment to freedom of speech and the right to challenge those in power.
The meeting was initially scheduled at Assam Shree Parshuram Seva Sadan on Kharga Choudhury Road in Athgaon. Organisers moved it to Chowdhury Tila, opposite the Assam Secretariat, alleging pressure had been placed on the original venue.
CJP founder and national convenor Abhijeet Dipke said Ranka and other members were being taken to an undisclosed location. The party demanded their immediate release and asked the authorities to clarify the grounds for the detentions. It later held a press conference at Chowdhury Tila to discuss the arrests, the disrupted meeting and the venue change.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/video/our-cm-is-a-coward-cjp-protester-hits-out-at-himanta-after-volunteer-detentions-1455922-2026-09-27?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-09-27 17:06:00
