The Cockroach Janta Party has alleged that an event that was supposed to take place in Kolkata on Tuesday evening had to be cancelled after hall owners backed down due to "threats from BJP leaders" and "massive pressure from the state".
In a post on X, CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka wrote that "Our scheduled Kolkata Meet-Up at Bharat Sabha Hall in North Kolkata has now been cancelled after the owners received threats from BJP leaders."
Read Full StoryThe CJP had organised a "meet-up" at the Bharat Sabha Hall, an auditorium in North Kolkata, where Ranka was supposed to attend and interact with participants.
This is not the first instance of a CJP venue being cancelled in a BJP-ruled state.
Ashutosh Ranka claimed Kolkata event was cancelled after hall owners received threats from BJP leaders.
The Cockroach Janta Party has alleged that an event that was supposed to take place in Kolkata on Tuesday evening had to be cancelled after hall owners backed down due to "threats from BJP leaders" and "massive pressure from the state".
In a post on X, CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka wrote that "Our scheduled Kolkata Meet-Up at Bharat Sabha Hall in North Kolkata has now been cancelled after the owners received threats from BJP leaders." He claimed that alternate venues could not be arranged after their owners refused, writing, "six other halls refused stating massive pressure from the state".
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The CJP had organised a "meet-up" at the Bharat Sabha Hall, an auditorium in North Kolkata, where Ranka was supposed to attend and interact with participants.
Ranka attested that the cancellation of the planned event was evidence that the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in West Bengal was apprehensive about the CJP's acitivities in the state and said that the organisation would arrange a "much bigger event" in the future.
"This only reinforces the fact that the BJP is scared from the cockroaches. And while we will indeed miss out on interacting with thelovely Cockroaches of Bengal, we promise to make up for it with a much bigger event very soon", Ranka wrote.
He then stated that the CJP would continue to carry out the school thik karo (fix the schools) campaign in West Bengal, that has seen activists across India document neglected government-run educational institutions, particularly in rural and remote regions.
"Most importantly, Cockroaches of Bengal will continue to visit govt schools and push the Bengal govt to get them fixed", Ranka wrote on X.
This is not the first instance of a CJP venue being cancelled in a BJP-ruled state. On August 13, a meeting of CJP volunteers at a banquet hall in New Delhi was cut short and later reconvened at a public park. The organisation's leadership had claimed that the venue owners had cited "pressure from above" for the cancellation. Ashutosh Ranka claimed Kolkata event was cancelled after hall owners received threats from BJP leaders. (Image: X/@AshutoshRanka)
CJP THREATENED FRESH AGITATIONS IN WEST BENGAL
Ashutosh Ranka's claims come as the CJP has threatened to launch agitations in West Bengal after a CJP volunteer's father succumbed to injuries after being attacked by assailants on August 13.
The volunteer, Abdul Hafiz, who had participated in protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, had visited Karishunda Paschimpara Primary School to inspect its educational conditions as part of the CJP's school thik karo campaign. Later that night, a group of assailants entered his house and attacked the family with sticks, iron rods and crowbars.
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The attackers first assaulted Hafiz, who managed to escape by fleeing from the house. They then attacked his father, Sheikh Mohammad Mafik, who died while undergoing treatment.
Following this, the CJP, which had claimed that the assailants were "BJP goons", on Monday gave the state administration a 10-day ultimatum to arrest all those involved in Mafik's murder, or it would gherao the Bankura District Magistrate's office.
"If the accused are not arrested within 10 days and our other demands are not met, we will gherao the district administration office and subsequently launch a larger agitation," news agency PTI quoted Ashutosh Ranka as saying on Monday.
The organisation has also demanded a court-monitored investigation into the conduct of personnel at Indas police station, alleging that the family had not received adequate support from police, and sought security for Mafik's family.
Mafik's son Hafiz, meanwhile, has rejected all offers of financial compensation from the state, and instead asked for a school to be built in his father's name, reported PTI.
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