Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 14 (ANI): Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday condemned the arrest of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activists Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, calling it an "attempt to intimidate and silence an entire generation" and urging people to unite to protect the country's democracy.
In a post on X, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief said that generations had fought for democratic rights and stressed the need to continue the struggle. "We, and many generations before us, have fought strongly for our democratic rights. We must continue to do so," Banerjee said.
Condemning the arrest of the CJP activists Ranka and Das, she said, "I strongly condemn the arrest of Ashutosh and Saurav of the CJP. These moments are about us all, pledging and standing up to fight unitedly to protect our great democracy. This is an attempt to intimidate and silence an entire generation. This is unacceptable.
"We must never surrender our constitutional rights," she added.
https://x.com/MamataOfficial/status/211027950962707268
Banerjee further alleged that the "murdering of democracy" was taking place in several parts of the country and claimed that 14,000 people in West Bengal were facing police and political atrocities.
"This murdering of democracy is happening in many parts of the country. At this moment, 14,000 of our people in Bengal are facing the brunt of police and political atrocities," she said.
She also said that a government which had forgotten the principle that "it is of the people, by the people, for the people" was nearing its end.
Addressing young people, the TMC chief said, "To the millions of young people I say: Your Didi is with you - today and forever! Let us stand together and save our Mother India."
Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP of "authoritarianism" over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and restrictions on protests at Jantar Mantar, alleging that those questioning the government were being jailed and peaceful demonstrators were facing police action.
The remarks came after a Special Executive Magistrate remanded Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activists Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka to five days of judicial custody, while Ajinkya Shinde was bound down for six months on a personal bond and surety of Rs 5,000 to maintain peace and good behaviour, Delhi Police said. The three were accused of trespassing on the denotified Jantar Mantar protest site through private premises.
The Delhi Police had detained all three CJP activists on Tuesday for allegedly trespassing at Jantar Mantar while attempting to enter the site. The action came a day after authorities de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest location.
Police sources said a case was registered in connection with the incident.
Earlier, CJP legal head Ratna Singh had alleged that the activists were denied access to their lawyers for several hours and were not initially informed of the grounds for their detention. She had also said that the activists were likely to be produced before the relevant magistrate.
The developments come amid the CJP and Opposition parties' ongoing agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. (ANI)
"Attempt to intimidate, silence entire generation": Mamata Banerjee on CJP activists' arrests
