How CJP turns up heat on Bengal BJP government: Schools to row over death of activist’s father

Following the death of CJP activist Abdul Hafiz’s father Sheikh Mohammad Mafiq, the outfit has targeted the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government, stepping into Bengal’s Opposition space.

“We are now busy fighting for justice for Abdul. It is not only the arrest of all the culprits, but also setting up of an international standard school in his father’s name that are among the demands. Abdul himself refused compensation and stated he wants the government to set up a proper school in his village in his father’s name,” said Dedipya Ganguly, a key member of the CJP in Kolkata.

“After this issue is resolved, we will initiate a ‘School Thik Karo (Fix the School)’ campaign in Bengal in a big way and also spread our organisation. All we wanted is to highlight the pathetic condition of schools in Bengal,” Ganguly added.

Explaining the CJP’s stance on Bengal, Ganguly said the outfit’s aim is to highlight “lapses” in the state’s education sector. “We are not with any political party. We want to visit, survey and then highlight the plight of schools to the state government. It is their duty to bring in the development. We are not in confrontation,” Ganguly said.

Attack on CJP activist

Before the CJP made its entry into Bengal, volunteer Abdul Hafiz, a resident of Korisunda village in Bankura district, had joined its June-July protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and also faced police crackdown on protesters there.

After returning to his village, Abdul recorded a video of a dilapidated government primary school in Korisunda in support of the CJP’s ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign. Soon after he posted the video on social media, on August 13, his family allegedly came under attack by a group that was purportedly angry over Hafiz’s visit to the local school.

According to Hafiz, who said he faced threats since returning from the CJP protests in Delhi, the group of attackers was allegedly associated with the BJP. However, the West Bengal Police has disputed the “baseless and false claims” that his father Sheikh Mohammad Mafiq had died as a result of the attack.

The police said Mafiq had sustained an injury requiring a single stitch after the attack, but was subsequently admitted to the Burdwan Medical College on August 15 after experiencing severe fluctuations in blood pressure. Mafiq died later that night.

Hafiz and Hasina Begum with their family (Express photo by Atri Mitra)

A CJP team then visited Abdul’s home and demanded action over the assault of its volunteer and the subsequent death of his father. The police arrested eight people in connection with the case, including three named in the initial FIR and five additional suspects, while two others remain absconding. A police guard has since been posted at Abdul’s residence.

In a statement issued Friday, the CJP set a 10-day deadline for action over Mafiq’s death. “The CJP has given the administration 10 days to take concrete action on its demands… if the demands are not addressed within this period, it will organise a protest and gherao of the Bankura DM’s office,” the statement said.

Venues ‘cancel’ CJP bookings

After the police crackdown against protesters at Jantar Mantar, the CJP on three occasions sought the permission from the Kolkata Police to hold protests in the city. However, the police rejected all their requests, forcing the CJP members to join other protesters without their banners. A row however erupted after some journalists were allegedly beaten by a section of the protesters.

Following the death of Abdul’s father, senior CJP leaders including Ashutosh Ranka visited Bengal on August 18, looking to hold a meeting with its members in the state. But six venues allegedly refused to host them or cancelled their bookings.

They later held a press conference on the road outside Kolkata Press Club, saying the indoor space could not accommodate them due to waterlogging and unavailability of electricity. The CJP also alleged that its booking at another venue for an internal meeting was cancelled after management “came under pressure from local BJP representatives”.

Speaking to reporters outside Kolkata Press Club, CJP member Sunil Kumar Tiwari said, “We contacted a hall on (August 17) and were asked to come the following morning to complete the booking and make the payment. However, when we arrived on (August 18), its management refused to proceed with the booking.”

“We subsequently approached three or four other venues, but were met with similar refusals,” Tiwari added.

When asked whether the CJP had any evidence that BJP leaders had allegedly pressured the venues’ management, he said there had been no such direct communication with the organisation, but charged that the pressure may have been imposed “from the top”.

Asutosh Ranka alleged venue owners were afraid of facing action or attacks if they allowed the meetings to go ahead. However, the allegations could not be independently verified.

The venue controversy came against the backdrop of the CJP’s campaign over the August 13 assault involving the Abdul family. A CJP member, Sudhir Sangwan, alleged, “Those involved in the assault were affiliated with the BJP… We have eyewitness accounts, and names and photographs of some of the accused, which can be matched with their profiles and the FIRs to establish their political affiliation.”

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rahul Sinha declined to comment on the issue. “We don’t have time to comment on the CJP,” he said.

CPI(M) leader Mayukh Biswas said, “The BJP is afraid because now people are asking for basic amenities like education and health. Religion and communal politics of the BJP are becoming irrelevant and that is the main headache for the BJP leadership in Bengal and across India.”