KOLKATA:
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the central authorities of “state-sponsored terrorism” over the continued detention of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenors Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, demanding their immediate release.
In a post on X on Monday, Banerjee alleged that the two leaders were being subjected to harassment and torture and described their detention as an attack on democracy. Her remarks came a day after a Special Executive Magistrate extended their judicial custody by another two days. She said the treatment of young protesters was unacceptable and accused those in power of using state machinery against people raising their voices. Drawing a parallel with the freedom struggle, Banerjee said those who fought against colonial rule had faced atrocities but continued their struggle with courage and conviction.
Ranka and Das were detained on October 13 after allegedly climbing over a locked gate to enter Jantar Mantar, which had been de-notified as a designated protest site. Along with other CJP activists, they reportedly displayed the national flag and raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The party has alleged that its leaders’ bail proceedings were deliberately delayed and questioned the rejection of their sureties. Police had also registered a non-cognisable report after the magistrate reportedly said he had received threats from unidentified persons. The leaders were expected to be produced before the magistrate again on Wednesday, October 21.