# CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka dares Himanta after ‘illegal’ Assam detention

2026-09-28T04:57:23+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

Assam Police on Sunday detained Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Ashutosh Ranka and over 40 volunteers from the residence of AJP leader Kunki Chowdhury in Guwahati ahead of a scheduled meeting. The group was taken to the 10th Assam Police battalion headquarters in Kahilipara and released later that evening. Ranka alleged the detention was illegal and that police offered no reason, acting on orders from senior officials. A CJP activist claimed the detainees were given only one banana in 24 hours. In posts on X and a press conference, Ranka directly accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of using police to suppress dissent, writing 'Cockroaches of Assam are just getting started!' He said the planned meeting was to discuss government school conditions, indigenous rights in Kaziranga, and alleged gerrymandering of constituency boundaries to benefit the ruling party in the April election. NCP (SP) spokesperson Anish Gawande called the detention 'jungle raj.' The CJP said it will continue its 'School Thik Karo' campaign and establish volunteer units across the Northeast.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three outlets report the same basic events from the CJP's framing, illegal detention, no food, gerrymandering allegations, without any government response or official counter-narrative. Hindutan Times leads with the hunger allegation, a marginally sharper edge. India Today and ABP lead with the 'cockroaches' dare. The absence of the Assam government's version, a standard editorial choice, makes the coverage uniformly source-driven. The assembly election result and delimitation dates remain the concrete next steps to watch.

## Coverage

- news.abplive.com (sensationalist) <https://news.abplive.com/news/india/assam-cjp-ashutosh-ranka-hits-back-at-cm-himanta-sarma-after-release-from-detention-1868651>
  leads with 'hit back' confrontation, no government quote included
- indiatoday.in (government critical) <https://www.indiatoday.in/india/assam/story/cjp-ashutosh-ranka-dares-himanta-biswa-sarma-detention-guwahati-assam-cockroaches-just-getting-started-3004481-2026-09-28?utm_source=rss>
  leads with 'cockroaches' quote, includes opposition spokesperson criticism
- hindustantimes.com (government critical) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/detained-cjp-workers-say-they-were-denied-food-in-assam-who-can-survive-on-one-banana-101790569117172.html>
  leads with hunger allegation, omits 'cockroaches' remark

Tags: Ashutosh Ranka, Assam Police, Cockroach Janta Party, Guwahati, Himanta Biswa Sarma
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