CJP leaders to visit volunteer's family in Bengal after father's killing

CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said party leaders will visit Abdul Hafiz's family in Bankura after his father, Abdul Mafik, was killed. The visit comes amid allegations against the BJP, denials from the party and multiple arrests in the case.

In Short

• Ashutosh Ranka alleged Hafiz was attacked after raising local primary school concerns
• His father was subsequently attacked while trying to save him
• Police intervened at the scene and took him to the health centre shortly

Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka on Sunday slammed the BJP over the death of Abdul Mafik, the father of party volunteer Abdul Hafiz. In a video on X, Ranka said that he, along with several other zonal members of the party, will visit the victim’s family in West Bengal’s Bankura on Monday.

Directly accusing the BJP of involvement in the incident, Ranka alleged that Hafiz was assaulted by armed BJP ‘goons’ and that when his father intervened to save him, the attackers assaulted him so severely that he later succumbed to his injuries.

“Abdul (Hafiz) was with us in the Jantar Mantar protest from day one. He wanted to improve the educational conditions of the primary school in his locality. When he returned home after talking to the authorities, he was attacked by the BJP goons. When his father intervened, the assailants also beat him up,” Ranka was heard saying in the video.

He further alleged that while the CJP is trying to fix the educational conditions in the country, the BJP is preventing them by unleashing violence against the party members and volunteers in several parts of the country.

Ranka’s comments come as a major controversy erupted over Mafik’s death. On August 13, a group of unidentified assailants attacked Mafik’s family after Hafiz met the headmaster of Karishunda Paschimpara Primary School, Kashinath Dey. The attackers beat Hafiz with iron sticks and crowbars.

When Mafik intervened to save Hafiz, the assailants also started beating him. He was unable to escape and was severely injured. The police later intervened and took him to the local health centre. He was later referred to Burdwan Medical College, where he died while undergoing treatment.

Ranka also alleged that he had received multiple calls, saying that the BJP was planning an attack during his visit to Bengal.

“Let @BJP4Bengal do it – and let the world watch them do it. Let the world document that when the youth of this country was fighting for education and better schools, the BJP was responding with violence,” Ranka wrote.

BJP DISMISSES ALL ALLEGATIONS

Meanwhile, the BJP government in Bengal dismissed all the allegations that the party members were involved in the violence.

Speaking to the reporter on the matter, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikary said that the party had no connection with the killing of Abdul Mafik.

"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,” he told the reporters.

BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar said that the assault should be investigated.

"If such an incident has taken place, an FIR should be registered, and the police should investigate it," he said.

Meanwhile, the local police have arrested eight people till now, and a murder case has been registered. All the arrestees have been sent to a district cour

- Ends