Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday dismissed an allegation that BJP workers were involved in an “assault” that led to the death of the father of a Cockroach Janta Party volunteer in Bankura district, and said those named in the FIR were criminals and would face stringent action.
CJP volunteer Shaik Abdul Hafeez and his family were allegedly attacked on August 13 after they visited a government school as part of the party’s “School Thik Karo” campaign.
Janab Mafik, the father of Hafeez, died on Saturday after he suffered severe head injuries during the alleged assault at the family’s residence, according to a statement from the CJP.
“Of the five people against whom an FIR has been registered, three have already been arrested. The two others will also be held. There is no BJP connection here. They are all criminals. Action will be taken according to law,” Adhikari told reporters at the state secretariat Nabanna.
The incident took place in the Karisunda area of Bankura district after Hafeez participated in the CJP’s nationwide “School Thik Karo” programme at the government school in his village on August 13 to assess the condition of its infrastructure, the party said.
The CJP alleged that armed individuals identified as local BJP workers forcibly entered Hafeez’s residence later that evening and assaulted the two.
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said any allegation of assault should be investigated by the police and action taken if the charges are established.
“If such an incident has taken place, an FIR should be registered, and the police should investigate it,” Majumdar said.
He also questioned whether the incident could have stemmed from a local dispute.
Majumdar said that despite a large number of people from Bengal participating in the recent CJP’s protest in Delhi, no such incidents had been reported elsewhere.
State minister Agnimitra Paul said the BJP would not shield anyone found guilty of wrongdoing.
“There are lakhs of BJP workers across India. It is neither possible nor the responsibility of the state president or the chief minister to determine the character of every worker. If someone has done something like this, action will be taken against that person,” Paul said.
Those responsible for the incident would be treated like criminals, she said, adding that “we will not tolerate such incidents. Strict action will be taken”.
According to the CJP’s statement, Hafeez alleged in a video that a school teacher had informed the political workers about his civic inspection, which prompted the subsequent attack.
The alleged assailants demanded that Hafeez record a video apologising for highlighting the condition of the school and claiming that he had done so under external influence, the CJP claimed.
“When Hafeez refused to comply, the individuals allegedly launched a violent assault on his family,” it said.
Hafeez said he had returned from Delhi after he took part in the CJP protest and had subsequently visited the primary school to document its poor condition.
“The CJP had launched a campaign, ‘School Thik Karo’, which is a good initiative. As part of it, I went to the school in my village and asked whether there were any problems. I enquired about facilities such as toilets and drinking water for the children. I told a teacher that I wanted to start a campaign and asked for his permission. He asked me to come the next day,” the CJP volunteer said.
According to him, the teacher subsequently informed local BJP workers about the matter.
“At around 8.30 pm on August 13, BJP workers came to our house and assaulted us,” he alleged.
The family claimed that Hafeez and his father were assaulted during the incident and that his father’s condition deteriorated following the attack.
He was subsequently admitted to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, where he died on Saturday night.
A CJP supporter, reacting to the incident, alleged that the attack was a “consequence” of Hafeez questioning the authorities over the infrastructure of the school.
“If asking questions leads to such attacks, we will continue to ask those questions again and again, and a thousand times if necessary,” the supporter said.
“He (Hafeez) went to Delhi and spoke the truth. The assault appears to be an expression of anger. It seems that he is being punished for speaking the truth. But we are fighting for the interests of students,” he said.
