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Bankura: After nearly seven hours of peaceful sit-in protest outside the Bankura District Magistrate’s office amidst torrential rain on September 8, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activists secured an assurance from the district administration that steps would be taken within two-and-a half months to establish a world class school in Karisunda village of West Bengal’s Bankura, in the memory Abdul Hafiz’s father, Sheikh Mohammad Mafik.

The administration also assured the protesters that they would take responsibility for the safety and security of Hafiz and his family.

CJP members stage a sit-in demanding justice for Abdul Hafiz and family. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.

The protesters also demanded that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members who allegedly attacked and killed Mohammad Mafik should be arrested. According to the CJP, he lost his life while campaigning for the cause of education. The administration assured them that the police would take steps to arrest the accused.

Besides that, the protesters called for a comprehensive investigation by a retired judge into the brutal attack allegedly carried out by the BJP workers against Hafiz and his father on August 13. The administration, however, said that the government would take a decision on demand. The CJP activists promised that if the commitments were not fulfilled within ten days, the organisation would take its movements to the streets of Kolkata.

For the people of Bankura, September 8 offered a striking picture of a determined movement led by students and youth, one that refused to retreat despite intimidation, adverse weather and administrative resistance, and ultimately succeeded in making its voice heard.

Why was the CJP forced to stage a sit-in protest?

The events that led to the CJP’s sit-in outside the Bankura District Magistrate’s office can be traced back to August 13, when a confrontation involving a youth from Karisunda village of Indas block ended in the death of his father and triggered a wider protest movement across the state.

On August 13, Hafiz, a resident of Karisunda, visited the primary school in his village and met its headmaster Kashinath De.

According to Hafiz, they discussed several issues concerning the school, including the quality of education, student attendance and improving healthcare facilities for the students. He mentioned that he also told the headmaster that he was willing to contribute, if necessary, to the overall improvement of education in the village. 

CJP activists march towards the Bankura District Magistrate’s office on September 8. Photo: Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.

Hafiz alleged that the headmaster did not share any information about the school with him and instead asked him to come back later. Further, he claimed that the headmaster subsequently informed........

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