Kolkata, Aug 18 (PTI) The West Bengal Police rejected claims that a Bankura man died following a “brutal physical assault” on the father of a CJP activist, saying he had sustained only a minor injury during an alleged attack at his residence and later died after being admitted to hospital following severe blood pressure fluctuations.
The police statement came a day after Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Ashutosh Ranka visited Indas in Bankura and demanded the arrest of all those allegedly involved in the death of Sheikh Mohammad Mafik, whose son Shaik Abdul Hafiz is associated with the CJP.
In a post on X, the West Bengal Police said “misinformation is being spread across social media about the August 13 incident in Indas and laid out what it described as the facts.” According to the police, on the night of August 13, “A group of miscreants allegedly accosted Sk Abdul Hafiz @ Rik at his residence in Indas, Bankura”, purportedly over his visit that morning to Karisunda Paschimpara Primary School to enquire about its facilities.
“During the incident, Rik’s father Sk Md Mafik sustained a minor injury that required a single stitch,” the police said.
It said that on the morning of August 15, 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,” the police said, adding that Mafik died that night.
Following his death, “baseless and false claims” began circulating online alleging that he had died from a “brutal physical assault”, the police said.
Bankura Police subsequently launched an investigation and, acting on the FIR, arrested eight people — three named in the initial complaint and five additional suspects.
“All of whom have been remanded to eight days of police custody,” the police said.
It added that an active manhunt was underway for two other accused persons who were absconding. A police house guard had also been deployed at Hafiz’s residence, according to the statement.
The police appealed to people to “refrain from spreading misleading information” and allow the investigation to proceed, warning that “those spreading rumours will be sternly dealt with as per law”.
The statement came a day after Ranka, who travelled from Delhi with his associates to Karishunda village, met 25-year-old Hafiz and his family.
Ranka had 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.
The CJP leader had also sought a court-monitored probe into the conduct of personnel at Indas police station, alleging that the family had not received adequate support from the police, and demanded security for them.
The family had alleged that Mafik was beaten because of Hafiz’s association with the CJP. Police, however, have not attributed the alleged attack to any political affiliation.
Ranka’s visit and his allegations had triggered a political row over Mafik’s death, with the CJP seeking to link the incident to Hafiz’s association with the outfit.
The police statement, however, sought to draw a distinction between the alleged assault on August 13 and Mafik’s subsequent death, maintaining that no life-threatening injury was found when he was treated at the hospital. PTI PNT RG
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