A mob attack in the Bankura district of West Bengal has resulted in the tragic death of an elderly man after his son, a civil rights activist, attempted to highlight deteriorating conditions at a local state-run school. The victim, Janab Mafeeq, succumbed to severe head trauma on Saturday after armed individuals breached their residence. The violent confrontation erupted when his 25-year-old son, Sheikh Abdul Hafeez, a worker with the organization CJP, conducted an inspection of the government school infrastructure. Following the fatality, regional tensions spiked, prompting law enforcement authorities to arrest eight individuals in connection with the fatal assault.
Armed Mob Assaults Activist Family Over School Inspection Video
According to case details, Sheikh Abdul Hafeez visited the government school as part of CJP's nationwide 'Fix the School' campaign aimed at assessing and improving educational facilities. After Hafeez documented and shared findings regarding the dilapidated state of the school premises, a group of local residents confronted him. The situation escalated dramatically when an armed mob forcibly entered Hafeez's family home. The assailants aggressively demanded that Hafeez record a formal video statement offering an apology for making the school's structural issues public. When Hafeez refused to comply with their demands, the mob launched a physical assault against the family. During the violence, Janab Mafeeq suffered critical head injuries, which proved fatal despite emergency medical treatment.
Law Enforcement Arrests Eight Suspects Including Local BJP Officials
In the aftermath of the attack, Hasina Begum, the wife of Hafeez, submitted an official complaint at the local police station seeking strict legal accountability for all participants. Investigating officers acted swiftly, taking at least eight suspects into custody. Prominent among those apprehended are local political figures, specifically BJP booth president Ashtam Majhi and BJP convener Avani Majhi. The police produced all eight detainees before the sub-divisional judicial court, lodging formal charges under several stringent provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The statutory charges invoked include murder, attempted murder, infliction of grievous hurt, rioting, and destruction of property.
Addressing the ongoing legal proceedings, Additional Superintendent of Police Krishnanu Roy indicated that preliminary inquiries have not uncovered any direct political motivation behind the homicide. Police officials confirmed that the suspects remain in custody for detailed interrogation to determine the underlying catalysts, sequence of events, and specific triggers that incited the violent mob action.
Civil Rights Group Pledges Ongoing Campaign as Political Leaders React
CJP founder Abhijit Dipke denounced the brutal killing in strong terms, emphasizing that the advocacy group will not be intimidated into silence by physical threats or violence. Dipke affirmed that the organizational initiative for enhanced public school infrastructure will continue unabated, adding that CJP stands resolutely alongside Abdul Hafeez and his relatives during this crisis. Furthermore, a delegation from the CJP National Working Committee, led by co-convener Ashutosh Ranka, is finalizing arrangements to travel to West Bengal. The delegation intends to meet the bereaved family directly to express solidarity and demand swift judicial accountability.
Concurrently, representatives of the BJP rejected allegations linking the political organization to the outbreak of violence. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari issued a statement asserting that the BJP holds no connection to the incident and maintaining that legal processes will proceed impartially against those responsible. Adding to the response, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar stressed that law enforcement authorities must thoroughly investigate every allegation connected to the assault and execute appropriate punitive action if the charges are substantiated by evidence.
