By Arghya Chakraborty

After having arrested eight persons in connection with the killing of a CJP activist’s father and booking them for murder, the West Bengal Police has rejected claims that the 50-year-old Bankura resident died following a “brutal physical assault”, saying he had sustained only “a minor injury” during an alleged attack at his residence and later died after being admitted to a hospital following severe blood pressure fluctuations.

In a post on X, the police said that “misinformation” was being spread on social media about the August 13 incident that took place in Indas in Bankura district.

Laying out what it claimed to be the “facts”, the West Bengal Police said that on the night of August 13, a group of miscreants allegedly accosted Sheikh Abdul Hafiz at his home, purportedly in connection with his visit to Karisunda Paschimpara Primary School that morning to enquire about the school’s facilities.

“During the incident, Hafiz’s father, Sheikh Mohammed Mafik, sustained a minor injury that required a single stitch. On the morning of August 15, Mafik got self-admitted to Burdwan Medical College after experiencing severe blood pressure fluctuations,” the police said, adding, “no life-threatening injury was found by doctors who treated him”.

The police said that following Mafik’s death, “baseless and false claims began circulating online alleging that Mafik had died from a ‘brutal physical assault’.”

According to the West Bengal Police, Bankura police launched a thorough investigation and, acting on the FIR registered, arrested eight individuals — three named in the initial FIR and five additional suspects — all of whom have been remanded to eight days of police custody.

Story continues below this ad

The West Bengal Police also said that “active manhunts” were underway for two remaining absconding suspects, and a police house guard has been placed at Hafiz’s residence.

The FIR, registered on a complaint lodged by Mafik’s family, has booked the arrested persons under the BNS sections of murder 103(1), criminal conspiracy 61, snatching 304, aggravated criminal intimidation 351(3), criminal trespass and house-trespass, breach of the peace 329 (4), voluntarily causing grievous hurt 117, among others.

The police statement came a day after Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Ashutosh Ranka visited Indas and demanded the arrest of all those allegedly involved in the death of Mafik, whose 25-year-old son Hafiz is associated with the CJP.

The CJP has been alleging that those involved in the August 13 assault on Mafik and his family members were associated with the BJP as they were irked by Hafiz’s visit to the local school to assess the ground situation as part of the outfit’s school survey campaign.

Story continues below this ad

The BJP has so far denied organisational involvement in the incident with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari saying that all those named in the FIR are criminals and will face stringent action.

The CJP has given the West Bengal government 10 days to arrest all those allegedly involved in Mafik’s death and demanded that all necessary legal sections be invoked against them.

A core CJP member, Sudhir Sangwan, on Tuesday said, “Those involved in the assault were certainly affiliated with the BJP. We have eyewitness accounts and the names and photographs of some of the accused which can be matched with their profiles and the FIRs to establish their political affiliation.”

He did not, however, provide any independent documentary evidence to substantiate the claim during the interaction.

Story continues below this ad

Ankit Bhardwaj, the CJP’s east and northeast zone in-charge, said Hafiz did not want financial compensation and instead wanted the government to build a “world-class” school in his village and district in his father’s memory. The CJP said a delegation led by member Akash Prem would remain at Hafiz’s residence and warned of demonstrations outside local administrative offices if the government failed to respond to its demands.

(Arghya Chakraborty is an intern with , Kolkata)