On August 17, AISA, RYA and other Left organisations, along with representatives of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), visited the house of Sheikh Abdul Hafiz in Indas, Bankura, whose father Mohammad Mafiq died after suffering injuries in an attack by BJP workers. The delegation met the bereaved family and issued a four-point ultimatum to the authorities, warning that protests would be intensified if the demands are not met and justice is not ensured.
Sheikh Abdul Hafiz, also known as Wrik, a CJP volunteer, had been campaigning through social media against the dilapidated condition of the local school as part of the School Thik Karo (Improve Schools) movement. Hafiz had participated in the Jantar Mantar protests and returned to his village on July 27. Inspired by the movement, he began campaigning for the improvement of the crumbling school education system in his area.
His campaign angered the BJP, and on August 13, BJP workers attacked Hafiz in a murderous assault. His father, Mohammad Mafiq, intervened to protect his son and suffered serious injuries in the attack. Mohammad Mafiq died on August 15, as the country was observing the 79th anniversary of Independence, from the injuries sustained while trying to save his son. His death has triggered anger among local people and intensified demands for justice.
A CPI(ML) Liberation and AISA delegation had visited the spot on August 16 and met Abdul Hafiz. The delegation, comprising Comrades Farhan, Dilbar, Sayant and Mujaffar, assured him of the party’s full solidarity and pledged to stand with the family and fight for justice.
The organisations condemned the attack on Hafiz and the killing of his father as a brutal attempt to silence a young person who had raised legitimate questions about the collapse of the government school system. Instead of addressing the desperate condition of the school and the demands of students and villagers, BJP workers resorted to violence against those raising their voices.
