The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has announced that a team will visit West Bengal after alleging that the father of one of its volunteers died following an assault in Bankura district.
CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka said on Sunday that the volunteer, Abdul Hafiz, also identified as Sheikh Riqhe, had visited a government school in his village in Bankura’s Indus block as part of the organisation’s “School Theek Karo” campaign.
Ranka alleged that Abdul was assaulted after returning home and that his father, who intervened, was also beaten and suffered serious injuries. According to Ranka, Abdul’s father died on Sunday morning.
The CJP has alleged that people associated with the BJP were responsible for the attack. The allegations have not been independently verified.
“Our entire team is going to Bengal tonight. We will rest only after getting justice for Abdul and his family,” Ranka said, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also alleged that Abdul had gone to inspect the government school where he had studied and that his family was attacked after he raised concerns about its condition. He demanded the arrest of those responsible for his father’s death and said the organisation would stand by Abdul and his family.
The CJP said its proposed visit to West Bengal would focus on seeking justice for the family and pursuing the allegations surrounding the incident.
The announcement came as the organisation launched its nationwide “School Theek Karo” campaign, aimed at highlighting the condition of government schools, particularly in rural areas.
Ranka said the campaign would encourage people to visit government schools in their areas, assess their condition and raise concerns with local authorities. He said the initiative was aimed at ensuring better infrastructure and functioning of schools that serve children in rural communities.
He claimed that around 95,000 schools had been closed across the country in recent years, while alleging that attempts had been made to close thousands of schools in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The CJP also appealed to citizens to approach panchayat representatives and government officials over deficiencies in schools and organise protests if their concerns were not addressed.
Ranka said the organisation would also continue supporting students and job aspirants protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in Jharkhand. He said CJP members had been involved with the protests since their beginning and remained in contact with student leader Devendra Mahto and other organisers.
The allegations surrounding the Bankura incident are likely to be subject to further investigation as the CJP prepares to send its team to West Bengal.
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