The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday accused the BJP government in West Bengal of attempting to “gag” its voice through intimidation and threats, while alleging that police had failed to arrest all those named in connection with the fatal assault on an elderly man in Bankura district.
CJP Co-Convenor Asutosh Ranka alleged that the attack was linked to the victim’s son’s association with the organisation and his participation in its “School Thik Karo” campaign. He claimed that despite the family identifying the alleged attackers in its complaint, all those accused had not yet been taken into custody.
The allegations against BJP workers and the claims concerning police inaction could not be independently verified. The BJP’s response to the allegations was not immediately available.
CJP stands by family
Addressing reporters outside the Press Club Kolkata, Ranka said CJP representatives had visited the deceased man’s son and wife at their home in Indas, Bankura, and were extending financial assistance to the family through crowdfunding.
According to Ranka, the youth had been campaigning for improvements at a local primary school when the confrontation occurred. He alleged that local BJP workers attacked the youth and brutally assaulted his father.
Ranka further alleged that some of those involved were carrying firearms, knives and crowbars. He demanded that authorities disclose details of the inquest conducted following the elderly man’s death.
The CJP leader maintained that the youth's activities had been limited to seeking improvements in infrastructure at the local primary school as part of the organisation’s education campaign.
Threatens larger agitation
The organisation has given the administration 10 days to act against all those it claims were involved in the Bankura incident.
Ranka said that if the remaining arrests were not made within the deadline, CJP would intensify its agitation, submit a deputation to the Bankura district magistrate and gherao the official's office.
He also called on political parties across ideological lines to support efforts aimed at improving government schools, arguing that education should not become a partisan issue.
“We are not here to ask for votes,” Ranka said, appealing to different stakeholders to rise above political divisions and support improvements in the education system.
Alleges meetings obstructed
Ranka also accused BJP representatives of attempting to prevent CJP from organising meetings in Kolkata.
He alleged that a local BJP MLA had pressured the Indian Association authorities against allowing the organisation to hold a meeting. He further said another proposed interaction at the Press Club Kolkata could not take place after the club cited a technical issue.
CJP interpreted the developments as an attempt to prevent it from publicly raising its concerns.
Ranka asserted that the organisation would not be intimidated and accused the ruling party of trying to suppress CJP's activities in West Bengal.
The specific allegations concerning political pressure on venues were not independently verified.
Education campaign in focus
The CJP leader said the organisation intended to increase its activities in West Bengal, pointing to participation by youths from the state in its earlier agitation at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
Education is expected to remain at the centre of its campaign. Ranka claimed that many government schools in West Bengal continued to suffer from inadequate infrastructure and referred to teachers who lost their jobs following recruitment irregularities during the previous Trinamool Congress government.
The organisation's “School Thik Karo” initiative seeks to mobilise people around deficiencies in government school infrastructure and broader problems in the education system.
Ranka urged the BJP government to engage with the organisation and address its demands, warning that CJP would launch a larger movement if dialogue and corrective action did not follow.
Support for Ranchi protests
CJP also sought to connect its Bengal campaign with student movements elsewhere in the country.
Ranka said the organisation had extended support to the recent students’ agitation in Ranchi and continued to oppose the police action against protesters there.
The remarks indicate that CJP intends to position education-related grievances as a wider mobilisation issue rather than confining its campaign to individual schools or districts.
In Bengal, however, the immediate focus remains the Bankura case. The organisation has made the arrest of all those allegedly involved in the fatal assault its principal demand and has threatened to escalate protests if the administration fails to act within its 10-day deadline.