The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Sunday condemned the alleged attack on its West Bengal volunteer Shaik Abdul Hafeez and his family, after his father died from injuries sustained in the assault, and demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible.
Hafeez’s father, Janab Mafik, died on Saturday after suffering severe head injuries in the alleged assault at their home in Karisunda village, Bankura district, on August 13.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said, “We will not be silenced and intimidated. We will keep fighting for better schools.” He demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for Mafik’s death and said a CJP team would travel to West Bengal to support the family. Dipke also said, “It makes my blood boil that people are being murdered simply for demanding better schools.”
The CJP alleged that the attack was carried out by local BJP workers after Hafeez participated in the party’s nationwide ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign at a government school in his village. According to CJP, Hafeez had visited the school to assess its infrastructure and later highlighted its condition. Armed men allegedly entered his home that evening and demanded that he record an apology for raising concerns about the school.
The CJP said Hafeez was also allegedly asked to claim that he had acted under external influence. When he refused, the men allegedly assaulted him and his father. Shaik Abdul Hafeez suffered a serious neck injury, while his father sustained critical blunt-force trauma to the head and later succumbed to his injuries.
The party alleged that no medico-legal case was initiated and no FIR was registered following the initial assault. It called for an impartial investigation into the attack, Mafik’s death and the alleged failure to initiate legal proceedings. The CJP said a National Working Committee delegation led by Co-Convener Ashutosh Ranka would visit West Bengal and demand justice and accountability.
