After its high-profile protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, Abhijeet Dipke and his Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have shifted their focus to West Bengal. The move follows the alleged assault of a CJP activist and his father by BJP workers after the activist highlighted poor facilities at a government primary school. The activist’s father later died from his injuries, triggering outrage and prompting the CJP to take on the state government.
The CJP has given the Suvendu Adhikari-led government 10 days to meet four demands, warning that failure to do so would lead to a Jantar Mantar-style agitation.
The incident has caused widespread concern in Bankura district, roughly 200 km from Kolkata. On August 13, CJP activist Shaik Abdul Hafiz, who had participated in the Jantar Mantar protests over examination paper leaks, visited the primary school where he had studied as part of the organisation’s ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign. The initiative, launched by Dipke, encourages CJP volunteers to highlight the poor condition of government schools across the country.
WHY WAS THE CJP ACTIVIST ATTACKED IN BENGAL?
The 27-year-old Hafiz recorded videos showing the poor condition of his former school, including its drinking water and toilet facilities, before returning home. A few hours later, at around 8 pm, a mob of nearly 100-150 people allegedly surrounded his house, entered the premises and assaulted him. Hafiz claimed that those involved were local BJP workers.
According to Hafiz, the attackers took away his phone and forced him to delete the videos showing the school’s condition. They also allegedly pressured him to record a video claiming that he had highlighted the school’s problems at someone else’s direction.
When Hafiz refused, he said he was attacked with blades, iron rods and other sharp weapons. His father, Janab Mafik, was also assaulted when he attempted to intervene. The Indian Express reported that Mafik suffered serious blunt-force trauma to his head, while Hafiz sustained a severe neck injury.
The family was unable to reach a hospital for nearly two hours as the mob remained outside their home. Police eventually arrived and took the two men to a nearby hospital.
The confrontation reportedly continued even at the hospital, where the mob followed them. After receiving treatment, Hafiz and his father were attacked again while returning home. Mafik's condition later deteriorated and he was shifted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital on August 15. He died that night.
The incident gained wider attention after Hafiz posted a video on social media and tagged the CJP, alleging that he was being constantly monitored and that his family was facing intimidation.
CJP GIVES BJP GOVERNMENT 10-DAY DEADLINE
CJP legal department head Ratna Singh also posted a handwritten note allegedly written by Hafiz, in which he identified five people for allegedly threatening and assaulting him. Singh claimed that she had tagged the West Bengal Police but received no action.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible and said the incident was deeply disturbing.
Eight people have since been arrested, including Ashtam Majhi, a BJP leader and booth president.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has denied any BJP involvement in the attack while promising action against those responsible. He said the FIR did not identify the accused as BJP workers and described them as miscreants. Security personnel have also been deployed outside Hafiz’s residence.
West Bengal Police disputed claims that Mafik had been brutally assaulted, saying he had suffered only a minor injury. According to the police, Mafik admitted himself to Burdwan Medical College after experiencing severe fluctuations in blood pressure, and doctors did not find any life-threatening injury. Police said he died later that night.
The episode has since developed into a major confrontation between the CJP and the BJP-led state government. During his visit to the activist on Monday, CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka issued a 10-day ultimatum and listed four demands.
These include registering an FIR against all the accused, conducting an impartial investigation into alleged police misconduct under court supervision, and providing round-the-clock security to the victim’s family. Ranka also said the family had rejected financial compensation and instead wanted a modern school for underprivileged children in the village to be named after Hafiz’s father.
The CJP has warned that it will gherao the Bankura district magistrate’s office if the demands are not met.
CJP AND BJP CLASH OVER KOLKATA EVENT
The confrontation continued on Tuesday when Ranka alleged that a planned CJP meeting in Kolkata had been cancelled after the venue owner received threats from BJP workers. He further claimed that six other venues also declined to host the event, citing pressure from the state government.
Ranka said the developments showed that the BJP was worried about the CJP and promised to organise a larger event in Bengal.
He also reiterated that CJP volunteers would continue visiting government schools as part of the School Thik Karo campaign and pressuring the state government to improve their condition.
Later, during a press conference, the CJP intensified its allegations against the BJP government. Ranka claimed that BJP leaders had threatened Hafiz and his family and labelled him a terrorist. He defended Hafiz and his family as patriots and claimed that more than 2,000 schools had been shut in Bengal in recent years, demanding that the government revive them.
The latest confrontation comes only weeks after the CJP’s major demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, which the organisation said contributed to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Education Minister. Tensions escalated on July 20 when police used force against students marching towards Parliament, with several protesters reportedly injured and some sustaining pellet-gun injuries.
As the CJP expands its campaign into Bengal, its 10-day ultimatum has put the Suvendu Adhikari government under renewed pressure, with the organisation threatening a larger agitation if its demands are not addressed.
