The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has intensified its campaign in West Bengal following the death of the father of its activist Shaik Abdul Hafiz, who was allegedly assaulted after highlighting poor conditions at a government primary school in Bankura district. The organisation has given the state government 10 days to act on four demands and warned of a protest outside the Bankura district magistrate’s office if they are not met. The incident has also triggered a political dispute over allegations of involvement by local BJP workers.
The 27-year-old Hafiz, who had participated in the CJP’s “School Thik Karo” campaign, visited his former primary school on August 13 to document its condition. He inspected facilities including drinking water and toilets and later recorded videos highlighting the problems. Hafiz alleged that around 100 to 150 people surrounded his home that evening, entered the premises and assaulted him. He claimed the attackers snatched his phone, forced him to delete the recordings and demanded that he make a video saying the school issue had been raised under outside influence.
According to Hafiz, he was attacked with blades, iron rods and other sharp weapons after refusing to comply, while his father, identified as Janab Mafik, was also assaulted after intervening. The family reportedly faced difficulty reaching hospital as the crowd remained outside their home. Hafiz said they were attacked again after receiving treatment and returning home. Mafik was later shifted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital on August 15 as his condition deteriorated, and he died that night. Police, however, disputed the description of the injuries, saying Mafik had been admitted after severe fluctuations in blood pressure and that doctors had not found a life-threatening injury.
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Eight people have been arrested in connection with the incident, including Ashtam Majhi, identified in the report as a BJP leader and booth president. The BJP has denied involvement in the attack. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the FIR did not identify BJP workers as responsible and described those involved as miscreants, while assuring that action would be taken according to law. West Bengal Police also said security personnel had been deployed outside Hafiz’s residence. The CJP, meanwhile, has demanded immediate action against all those it says were responsible and an investigation into alleged police inaction.
CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka, who met Hafiz on Monday, issued a 10-day deadline to the government. The organisation's demands include registration of an FIR against all accused, a court-monitored and impartial investigation into alleged police misconduct, and round-the-clock state protection for Hafiz’s family. Ranka also said the family did not want compensation and instead wanted a modern school for underprivileged children in the village to be named after Mafik. The CJP has warned that failure to meet its demands would lead to a protest outside the Bankura district magistrate’s office.
The confrontation between the CJP and the state government has widened beyond the Bankura incident. Ranka alleged that a planned CJP meeting in Kolkata was cancelled after the venue owner received threats and that six other venues subsequently refused to host the gathering, citing pressure from the state. The organisation has said it will continue visiting government schools as part of its campaign. The Bengal dispute follows the CJP’s recent protests in Delhi over education-related issues, marking another major confrontation as the group seeks action over allegations of poor public-school infrastructure and the treatment of its activists.
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