Assam police detained CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka and 40 other volunteers in Guwahati on Sunday, seizing them from a private residence ahead of a scheduled volunteer meeting. The CJP unit in Guwahati stated that six women were among the 41 people taken into custody, with the party claiming no legal notice or detention sections were communicated to them. The detention occurred just as Ranka, who had arrived in the city the previous day, was preparing to discuss issues ranging from government school conditions to Kaziranga evictions.
The party framed the action as political intimidation. Ranka, visible in a video shared on his X account while riding in a police vehicle, accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of being "afraid" to expose the reality of local schools and corporate interests in Kaziranga. "He is scared that if we show the schools here, the country will know the reality," Ranka told reporters as he was taken away, adding that the government won the Assembly election by redrawing constituency boundaries.
Abhijeet Dipke, the CJP founder, escalated the rhetoric on social media. He confirmed that Ranka was picked up without charge and warned that he would travel to Assam with other party members if Ranka was not released. "Himanta can arrest us all," Dipke wrote, signaling a potential confrontation between the opposition group and the state government.
The CJP stated that their original venue became unavailable, forcing them to shift the meeting to a private home where the police intervention took place. The group plans to discuss NGO-related issues and youth concerns, topics they argue are being suppressed. An official statement from the Assam police remained pending as of Sunday evening, leaving the legal basis for the mass detention unclear.
The CJP has indicated it is considering legal action over the detentions. Dipke’s threat to visit Assam and the party’s demand for immediate release set the stage for further political friction in the state ahead of upcoming local meetings.