Odishas Chief Minister Calls for Immediate Release of CJP Leaders
Odishas CM Naveen Patnaik demands the release of CJP leaders, emphasizing the need to respect constitutional rights and uphold the rule of law.
Bhubaneswar, October 20 (Daily Kiran) : Odisha’s Leader of Opposition and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President, Naveen Patnaik, expressed his support for the leaders of the ‘Cockroach People’s Party’ (CJP), Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, on Tuesday. He called for their immediate release from judicial custody.
Patnaik stated that it is inappropriate to detain anyone for an extended period for raising the national flag in a restricted area. He urged authorities to respect constitutional rights and maintain the youth’s trust in the rule of law.
In a post on his official X account, Patnaik wrote, “The judicial custody of Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das should be reviewed immediately, and they should be released without delay. There should not be such a long detention for raising the national flag, even in restricted areas. The judiciary and the executive must ensure that the youth of the country do not lose faith in the rule of law and their constitutional rights.”
Ranka and Das were among 14 individuals detained on October 13 for allegedly entering a private area at Jantar Mantar, which is no longer an authorized protest site, and obstructing police officers in the performance of their duties.
On October 14, two CJP leaders were initially placed in judicial custody for five days. They were protesting against irregularities in the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of voter lists and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Special Executive Magistrate Ritu Raj extended their judicial custody by two days on Monday, until October 21, stating that their behavior showed “no respect for the law” and indicated that protesting in restricted areas had become a habit for them.
In his order, the magistrate noted that both individuals had deliberately violated the bonds they submitted on October 11 before the SEM of the southwest district. Their actions were deemed to have disrupted public peace.
The magistrate remarked that during the hearing, the CJP leaders assured that they would not repeat their offenses, but given their previous behavior and the evidence recorded by the investigating officer, their assurances could not be trusted.
