Cockroach Janata Party Targets Schools After Member's Father Is Killed

On August 13, Abdul Hafeez returned to his former primary school in Karisunda, Bankura district, West Bengal, as part of the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) nationwide audit of under‑funded government schools. The pressure group, which recently forced the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s education minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a 37‑day sit‑in in New Delhi, has now shifted its focus to the conditions of public‑funded schools across India. The CJP’s campaign invites volunteers to inspect schools, documenting basic needs such as drinking water, functional toilets, electricity, safe boundaries, and reliable midday meals and teacher attendance.

Hours after Hafeez’s visit, local workers affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allegedly attacked him and his father, Mohammad Mafik, at their home. Two days later, Mafik died from the injuries sustained in the assault. West Bengal’s chief minister, Suvendu Adhikari, denied any BJP link to the attackers, calling them “criminals with no BJP connection” and promised action. Despite the promise, Hafeez remains resolute. He told Al Jazeera that he would seek justice for his father while continuing to push for better schools, saying, “We will fight for justice for my father, but these attacks will not stop us from demanding better education.”

The incident raises the stakes in a battle between the BJP’s well‑organised machinery and the relatively nascent CJP. The group’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, described the assault as “murder simply for demanding better schools,” while co‑convenor Ashutosh Ranka said the CJP would press the government for compensation and requested a school be named after Mafik. In Rajasthan, Ranka joined a sit‑in with primary‑school students in Alwar district on August 14, demanding the same reforms. The CJP’s “Fix the Schools” campaign now seeks to hold the government accountable for basic infrastructure and safety, aiming to turn education into a protected public good rather than a political bargaining chip.