CJP meet stopped, members detained in Guwahati, released hours later

GUWAHATI: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convener Ashutosh Ranka and several senior functionaries and activists were released on Sunday night after being detained earlier in the day by Assam Police, ahead of the outfit’s first regional volunteers’ meeting in Guwahati.35 CJP members had been detained and were taken to the 10th Assam Police Battalion campus at Kahilipara, shortly before the outfit’s meeting near the state secretariat.“The illegal detention by Assam Police has finally ended. We have asked police to go and drop us from where we were picked up illegally in the first place,” Ranka said in a social media post, after they were released around 10 pm.The detained functionaries included Ranka, Ankit Bhardwaj, Premakash Golu and the outfit’s Assam coordinator, Sahil. They had begun a hunger strike at the police facility in protest against their detention.“The hunger strike will continue until all 35 members are released,” CJP had said.CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who had earlier announced in the day that he would travel to Assam on Monday to protest against the detention, wrote on social media that he was looking forward to joining the other CJP members in their hunger strike after news of their release broke out.However, it could not be ascertained whether Dipke, at all, will travel to the state or not. Earlier in the day, police said the outfit had not obtained permission to hold the meeting at the proposed venue near the secretariat.Police had blocked access to the venue, preventing volunteers from reaching the meeting site. CJP had planned to bring together around 200-300 volunteers from across the northeast.The meeting was initially scheduled for 10 am at Assam Shree Parshuram Seva Sadan on Kharga Choudhury Road in Athgaon.Organisers later shifted it to Chowdhury Tila, opposite the secretariat, alleging pressure from the authorities on the original venue.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Guwahati | Silver Rate in Guwahati | Bank Holidays in Guwahati | Public Holidays in Guwahati | Guwahati AQI | Weather in Guwahati | Petrol Price in Guwahati | Diesel Price in Guwahati | CNG Price in Guwahati | LPG Price in GuwahatiStay updated with the latest Guwahati news. Download the TOI App.