"I don't want compensation. I want the government to build an international standard school in his name to honour his memory, which can be of service to local youth. And I seek justice for his death," Sk Abdul Hafeez said hours after his father Sk Mohammad Mafik's funeral. On 13 August, Mafik, 51, was allegedly assaulted at his home in a West Bengal village by local "goons", including some with alleged affiliation to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while trying to save his son. Sk Abdul Hafeez"They came for me because I went to Delhi to support the CJP [Cockroach Janta Party] protests, and demanded reforms in our local school in line with the CJP's 'School Thik Karo' campaign."CJP and the Changing Information Landscape of Student ProtestThe Assault on Hafeez and MafikIn July, Hafeez, a resident of the remote Indas village in Karisunda, West Bengal's Bankura district, travelled by bus, truck, and train—all the way to Jantar Mantar in Delhi—to join the protests against NEET examination paper leaks. He was moved by the online videos of the hunger strikes and the outraged students seeking reforms to the education system at the heart of the country. On 26 July, Hafeez was among the thousands who celebrated at Jantar Mantar when Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. But soon after he returned home, he started receiving threats from locals. Hafeez remained undeterred. "Something in me had stirred. I had always believed in the call for school reforms, and thought, why not begin at home?"On 13 August, Hafeez visited the Karisunda Paschimpara Primary School, where he had himself once studied in. It is also the only school in his village. When he sought permission from the headmaster, Kashinath Dey, to document the condition of toilets and classrooms, he was told to come back later. That same evening, armed goons, allegedly linked with local BJP units, arrived at Hafeez's door. The attackers started to assault Hafeez when his father tried to intervene. "My father was trying to save me. He got beaten by a saliya (iron rod) on his head." Hafeez's mother, who had been cooking at the time, witnessed the assault. "I begged them to stop but they pushed me off. I was helpless," she recalled. The attack took place at around 8 pm. Hafeez alleges that the family called the Indas police station for help but police arrived nearly two hours after the complaint. Once the police arrived, Hafeez took his father to the local hospital. However, he was not given any police protection on the way, or at the hospital, where Mafik received stitches to his head. Hafeez recorded a video at the hospital, and posted it on his social media account, in which he narrated the incident and requested protection as he feared there could be further attacks. His fear was not unfounded. Both the father and son were attacked again and received further blows at the hospital and on their way back home. "They took away my phone and deleted the videos. I still have not found my phone," Hafeez said.Hafeez's video was later shared on X by the CJP's Ashutosh Ranka.Our supporter from Indas PS, Bankura district, West Bengal, Abdul Hafiz was beaten up by BJP goons for visiting nearby school as a part of #SchoolThikKaro campaign. His father was also brutally beaten up.@WBPolice - Are you still Police of West Bengal or already migrated to… pic.twitter.com/21MnooygL1— Ashutosh Ranka (@AshutoshRanka) August 13, 2026In the absence of police protection, the family chose to treat Mafik at home. "Once we returned, we barricaded ourselves in. The police did nothing to help us feel safer. When his condition did not improve, we took him to Burdwan for treatment but he did not make it. As the country celebrated Independence Day, we watched him fade away. Had he got proper treatment, he could have been saved," Hafeez choked.Police and PoliticsThe family lodged an FIR at the Indas police station on 16 August, accessed by The Quint, in which they have named headmaster Dey as the key instigator of the mob, which was led by Sk Azad, Srikanta Majhi, Rohit Majhi, Oshtom Majhi, and Prasanta Majhi, and eight to 10 unidentified men. Hafeez alleges they are all BJP affiliates and local workers. Dey is the Block Level Officer (BLO) of Karisunda, and had been well-acquainted with Hafeez.Eight people have since been arrested in connection to the crime, including Oshtom Majhi, who has been described by media reports and local sources as a "BJP leader" and booth president, along with Azad, Srikanta Majhi, Rohit Majhi, and Prasanta Majhi. Azad and others have also been named as party workers, though the party has denied any links.Dey, however, was not among those arrested, and the activists visiting Baruipur claim he has not been seen since the attack. Hafeez and his mother as well as political activists allege Dey's role owing to the fact that it was only him that Hafeez had spoken to regarding the school inspection.The Quint reached out to officers in Indas police station but was told to contact "senior officers". "We have arrested eight people. Those behind the crime will be punished," said one Indas Police officer over the phone without naming themself. Cops also denied getting any complaint from Hafeez on 13 August when the assault took place, thus dismissing allegations of arriving too late to the scene.Meanwhile, West Bengal Police has stated on X that the injuries received by Mafik on 13 August were "minor".West Bengal Police"On the morning of 15 August, Sk Md Mafik got self-admitted to Burdwan Medical College after experiencing severe blood pressure fluctuations. No life-threatening injury was found by doctors who treated him. Sadly, Mafik passed away that night. Following his death, baseless and false claims began circulating online alleging that Mafik had died from a 'brutal physical assault'."While stating that the accused had been remanded to eight days of judicial custody, the police added that a "manhunt" was for the other accused.Hafeez, as well as political activists working to seek justice for Mafik, however, claim otherwise."The incident in Indas occurred on 13 August, yet permission to register an FIR at the police station was granted only on 16 August—after the victim had already died. The police were compelled to accept the FIR primarily due to intense pressure and agitation from students, the youth, and the villagers," Mayukh Biswas, the All India General Secretary of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and PhD scholar at the University of Calcutta, told The Quint. 'Friday People': Kolkata Protesters Face Anti-Muslim Targeting Even as FIRs LoomThe arrested individuals have been booked in a murder case under sections Sections pertaining to griveous injury, trspassing, snatching and attempt to murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Notably, the controversial 'Goonda Act', introduced by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, was not invoked in this instance. In the case of Mafik's killing, the CM has denied the involvement of the BJP, claiming that those involved have no links with the outfit. Party leaders The Quint reached out to, including state veteran Swapan Dasgupta, denied the party's links to the incident."Whether it was a lynching, murder, political violence or an act of 'goondaism' will be decided by the investigation," he said.While denying knowledge of the accused having links with the BJP, the minister said such questions would be better answered by local leadership. The Quint also reached out to the state's education minister for schools, Deepak Barman, over email and phone regarding the incident. A response is as yet awaited. Meanwhile, no compensation has yet been offered by the state.The death has nevertheless highlighted the expanding influence of the CJP and its confrontation with the BJP across states, with the government school campaign opening up a fresh avenue for putting pressure on the new BJP government in West Bengal. The case comes as the latest issue for mobilising opposition against the Adhikari government, already facing criticism over the Baruipur case, the action against CJP/anti-NEET protesters, demolition drives targeting working class and Muslim neighbourhoods, arbitrary invocation of the 'Goonda Act', and the continuation of the "tola baaji" system of informal payments and bribes by the local BJP workers and leaders."This case does not just highlight one death; it is about the larger state of lapse across rural West Bengal. Bankura has a BJP MLA, Nirmal Kumar Dhara, since 2021. But if you visit the area, you won't find a single pukka road or facilities for the youth. When the same youth stands up to ask questions, the government goes after them. This is the BJP and the Trinamool's idea of development," CPI(M) leader Satarup Ghosh said.CPI(M) and CJP representatives with Hafeez and his family in Bankura.State of School Education Karisunda is a remote village in Indas block of Bankura. Reaching it involves wading through knee-deep mud. Hafeez's house is located at the very edge of the village, with not much around it including shops.Hafeez, a graduate, says that despite being educated, he remains unemployed as the area offers no work opportunities for literate youth."It was perhaps my own inability to put my degree to use that the Jantar Mantar protests attracted me. My parents are not rich. My father sold random wares and used items door to door as a daily-wage earner... that's how he raised us. He supported me, my dreams, even when I could not get a job. He helped me gather money to go to Delhi when I said I wanted to join the protests.""The CJP launched the 'School Thik Karo' campaign to address the harsh reality of the National Education Policy, which had led to the closure of at least 350,000 schools across the country. In Bengal alone, the figure is around 9,000," Dedipya Ganguly, a member of the Bengal chapter of the CJP, rued.In Bengal, education activists allege that Bratya Basu, the education minister under the Trinamool government, had followed the very policies championed by Dharmendra Pradhan and his ilk. "The BJP has just come and put a coat of saffron paint on the white and blue institutions of the previous government, quite literally. Three months is enough time for a government to notice the condition of its schools."Parents of primary school students The Quint contacted over the phone in Bankura said (requesting anonymity) that the school in question had no water in the toilets, no hygiene, and the ceilings leaked. The drinking water at the school was contaminated with high quantities of iron.CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke on 18 August said that Hafeez was a "true patriot". The CJP, as well as other Left organisations fighting on behalf of Hafeez, have demanded a court-led investigation into the issue. Satarup Ghosh said that the Left had been supporting Hafeez from the beginning, and that when it came to defending the basic human rights of people, a "united fight" was required.Ganguly, who accompanied the delegation of CJP and CPI(M) leaders led jointly by CJP convener and spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka and Satarup Ghosh, respectively, to Bankura on 17 August, was back at Hafeez's home on 19 August to assist Hafeez, who had been called by the police for questioning. The leaders had given a call for free and fair investigation and demanded action within 10 days, as well as the construction of the school Hafeez sought from the government.Critics of the CJP have questioned the group's role and extent of its responsibility in safeguarding its supporters and volunteers protesting in their home states as part of the CJP's campaign after the demonstrations in Jantar Mantar had wrapped up. The Quint reached out to Ashutosh Ranka regarding the same, and a response is as yet awaited.When asked if the group planned to pursue protests around the issue, Ganguly said,"For now, we are considering our next steps and they shall be announced once decided. We want the state to be accountable, but safety of Hafeez and his family is also important."Hafeez is currently at his home in Indas, where he is living with his mother and sister. The police have posted an officer outside his home for the family's safety.He also knows that once the hullaballoo dies down and the cameras and activists leave, he and his family would have to face a hostile village alone. And yet, the young activist reasserts that he wants no compensation. All he wants is to live with dignity and safety, and the right to demand accountability from his government."My father is already gone, that can't be changed. But I want to implore the youth of this country to come out and fight to make the country better. Those of you who are still at home, step out. Hit the streets and join the revolution to save the country," he said.