In Brief
- Assam Police detained over 30 CJP activists, including Co-Convenor Ashutosh Ranka, near the Assam Secretariat in Guwahati ahead of a planned volunteers' meeting.
- Detained volunteers stated they were given no meals for 24 hours, receiving only a single banana during custody.
- Following the detentions, 35 CJP members launched an indefinite hunger strike inside the 10th Assam Police Battalion campus in Kahilipara demanding their release.
Assam Police detained more than 30 members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including National Co-Convenor Ashutosh Ranka, East In-charge Ankit Bhardwaj, Joint Secretary Premakash Golu, and Assam Coordinator Sahil, in Guwahati on September 27, 2026. Police intercepted the party functionaries while they were traveling to Chowdhury Tila near the Assam Secretariat to hold their first regional volunteers' meeting. Officers transported the detainees to the 10th Assam Police Battalion campus in Kahilipara. Following 24 hours in custody, detained activists alleged that police denied them food throughout their detention.
In response to the detentions and lack of charges, 35 CJP members initiated an indefinite hunger strike inside the police campus. CJP leaders stated the event was planned on private property to address public education and flood management issues, while police officials cited a lack of official permission for the gathering near the secretariat as the ground for intercepting the attendees. Lawyers attempting to access the Kahilipara facility to consult with the detained members reported being denied entry by station security.
