Sambit Patra said Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were jailed for breaching a peace bond. His remarks challenge claims that authorities detained them for attempting to hoist the Tricolour.
Bhubaneswar,Oct 21, 2026 17:52 IST
BJP national spokesperson and Puri MP Sambit Patra on Wednesday said CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das do not fall within the Gen-Z age group. He alleged that they were sent to judicial custody for violating a peace bond and not for attempting to hoist the national flag, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Patra rejected what he called a false narrative that the two leaders had been sent to judicial custody for trying to unfurl the Tricolour. He also accused the country's "enemies" of misleading people over the reason for their detention.
Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, Patra said, "A narrative was being circulated across the country, and an impression was being created that there are individuals who simply wish to hoist the national flag and that the government is so dictatorial that it prevented them from doing so."
Referring to proceedings in the Delhi High Court, Patra said the court had raised questions about the identities and ages of the two leaders, according to PTI.
"They are aged 27 and 31 years and therefore do not belong to Gen-Z. Now it should be clear to the whole country that their judicial custody was not a result of their desire to hoist the Tiranga. Rather, it occurred because they failed to uphold the terms of a peace bond they had previously signed," he said. Gen-Z refers to people born between 1997 and 2012.
Patra claimed that Ranka and Das were initially detained on October 10 and released after signing a peace bond, under which they agreed not to take part in activities that could lead to a breach of peace. He alleged that they violated the bond within hours of their release and said the "victim card" being played in the name of the Tricolour had been exposed.
Referring again to the court proceedings, Patra alleged that the protests had initially begun with young people taking to the streets over the NEET question paper leak controversy. He said the issue had since changed, while the people involved remained the same.
"In other words, this movement -- taking place across the country -- appears to be orchestrated by the same group of individuals, driven by a calculated, pre-planned agenda," he alleged.
Quoting an observation that he attributed to the court, Patra said, "The protests can sometimes spiral into arson, looting, and destruction if the organisers lose control. The National Flag of India does not provide you with legal immunity to incite anarchy across the country by using the flag as a cover."
The BJP leader also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of fomenting unrest similar to that seen in countries where, he alleged, democratic institutions were less vibrant than those in India. Patra maintained that Ranka and Das were placed in judicial custody over the alleged breach of their peace bond, rather than their attempt to unfurl the national flag.
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