Kolkata: The father of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) member Sheikh Abdul Hafiz was murdered on August 15, two days after he and his son were allegedly attacked at their home in Bankura’s Karishunda village following Hafiz’s participation in the party’s “School Thik Karo” campaign.
In an exclusive conversation with eNewsroom, Hafiz alleged that he and his father, Sheikh Mohammad Mafik, were brutally attacked by a group of men whom he identified as BJP workers on the night of August 13, after he had filmed the condition of the primary school he attended as a child. Hafiz said he had taken permission from the school’s headmaster, Kashinath De, on August 12 to record the school the following day.
Mafik was rushed to Burdwan Medical College Hospital under police escort after the assault. He succumbed to his injuries on August 15.
‘We Couldn’t Kill You, So We’ll Kill Your Father’: Hafiz Recounts Attack
According to Hafiz, a group of men arrived on motorcycles at around 8 pm on August 13, armed with crowbars and bamboo sticks, barged into his home and attacked him and his father.
“On the 13th, I went to my school to record a video there after taking permission from the headmaster the previous day. That night around 8 PM, they arrived on bikes fully prepared and armed with crowbars and bamboo sticks. They barged into our home and first attacked me, striking my neck and chest, and assaulted my father by hitting him on the head and chest with crowbars and bamboo sticks. My father was right beside me; he had stepped in to protect me. They were telling, ‘toke marte parini tor baba kei mere felbo’ (we couldn’t kill you so we will kill your father),” Hafiz told eNewsroom.
His mother, Hasina Begum, said she pleaded with the attackers to spare her husband and son.
“When they were beating them with crowbars and sticks, I told my son to give whatever phone they were asking for. I fell at their feet so that they would spare my son and husband, otherwise they would have killed both of them,” she told eNewsroom.
Hafiz, 27, is from Karishunda village in Bankura district and is a member and campaigner of the “School Thik Karo” movement launched by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on August 10.
Hafiz said he had filmed his former school, Karisunda Pashchimpara Prathamik Vidyalaya, as part of the campaign after obtaining permission from headmaster Kashinath De a day earlier. eNewsroom is seeking the headmaster’s response regarding the permission and the filming.
After Hospital Visit, Hafiz Alleges Second Attack and Phone Seizure
At around 10 pm on August 13, Mafik was taken to hospital under police escort. Hafiz said that while returning home after the hospital visit, he was allegedly surrounded by the same group of men and attacked again.
“They initially tried to stop us and created a commotion. At the hospital, BJP party members gathered and blocked me from exiting from the hospital, fearing I might go to Indas police station to file an FIR. I had told the officer I wanted to file under Section 119 of the BNS, which they didn’t file in the first instance,” Hafiz alleged.
He said his father, whom he described as a simple and straightforward man, suggested that they apologise, settle the matter and leave peacefully.
“Returning home from the hospital, they surrounded me on their bikes and beat me again with bamboo and forced me to delete all the videos I had recorded and posted from my phone,” Hafiz said.
He alleged that the videos and audio recordings included footage of the school, the CJP protest and the earlier assault at his home. eNewsroom has not independently verified the contents of the deleted recordings.
Hafiz’s mother went to Indas Police Station on the afternoon of August 16 and filed a written complaint against 10 to 15 people, naming five of them as accused.
‘I Was Branded Pakistani, Terrorist’: Hafiz Links Threats to Jantar Mantar Protest
Hafiz had also participated in the CJP protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak. He said he joined the protest for what he believed was the future of the country’s younger generation and that his parents supported his decision.
Hafiz travelled to Delhi on July 19 and stayed at the protest site until July 25. He said he was subjected to tear gas and a lathi charge by Delhi Police and was subsequently admitted to a hospital in Delhi.
“Ever since I was participating in the Jantar Mantar protests in Delhi, threats were being directed at me from my own neighbourhood. I was branded a Pakistani and a terrorist, and accused of having links to Pakistan, receiving threatening phone calls to that effect,” Hafiz alleged.
“I posted videos on social media and shared videos about the Jantar Mantar protests. When I returned home, I received threats that I would be killed. My family was also being threatened. That is why, on that day, they barged into our home and attacked both my father and me, and my father passed away,” he said.
Hafiz alleged that the threats intensified after he returned from Delhi and began participating in the “School Thik Karo” campaign.
Eight Arrested in Bankura Attack, Police Confirm
Indas Police Station Officer-in-Charge Chayan Kumar Ghosh told eNewsroom over the phone that eight people have been arrested from Karishunda village in connection with the case and that further investigation is underway.
The arrested persons are Sheikh Azad, Srikanta Majhi, Prashanta Ruidas, Rohit Majhi, Bablu Majhi, Santu Majhi, Tinku Keora and Ashtam Majhi.
According to the police, the case has been registered under Sections 329(4), 331(4), 126(2), 117(2), 118(2), 304(2), 351(3), 109, 103(1), 61(2), 324(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Hafiz and his family have identified the arrested men as being involved in the alleged assault. Ashtam Majhi has been identified as a BJP leader and booth president; his political affiliation and position should be independently confirmed with the BJP before publication if not already established through official records.
The allegations against the arrested persons are part of an ongoing investigation and they have not been convicted by a court.
CJP Team Reaches Bankura as Hafiz Rejects Compensation
CJP co-convenor Asutosh Ranka and his team reached Bankura on August 17 to meet Hafiz and his family.
“It is not just the responsibility of CJP but of the entire country. Everyone in this country who is fighting for educational reform, we stand with them and support them. We are not afraid of BJP goons; this hooliganism will not be tolerated anymore. If BJP workers anywhere in the country think that they can intimidate us through violence, we are not going to be scared,” Ranka told the press.
CJP president Abhijeet Dipke also spoke to Hafiz over the phone.
On Hafiz’s refusal to seek compensation and his demand that the government instead build a world-class school in his father’s name, Dipke posted on X:
“I will never forget these words from Abdul. I don’t think I have ever met someone who loves India as much as Abdul. Abdul lost his father, now the country needs to stand with him,” Dipke posted on X.
Earlier on August 17, former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to Hafiz over the phone, expressed solidarity with the family and condemned the attack. She assured the family of full support and asked Hafiz to visit her residence in Kalighat, Kolkata, with copies of the FIR and post-mortem report.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, speaking at a press briefing, denied any link between the accused and the BJP, describing them as ordinary criminals and saying that strict legal action would be taken.
The investigation into the attack and the circumstances surrounding Mafik’s death is continuing.
