Sheikh Mafik death: The death of Sheikh Mohammad Mafik in West Bengal’s Bankura district has become the centre of a growing controversy, with conflicting accounts emerging over what happened to the 50-year-old father of CJP volunteer Sheikh Abdul Hafiz.
Mafik died on August 15, two days after an alleged attack at his home in Karishunda. Eight people have been arrested in connection with the case. While Mafik’s family and CJP leaders have alleged that he was brutally assaulted, West Bengal Police have rejected that description and said he suffered only a minor injury before being admitted to hospital following severe blood-pressure fluctuations.
The disagreement has now put the circumstances of Mafik’s death under greater scrutiny.
What Killed Sheikh Mafik?
The key question remains: what exactly caused Sheikh Mohammad Mafik’s death?
According to West Bengal Police, Mafik suffered an injury during the August 13 incident that required a single stitch. Police said he later admitted himself to Burdwan Medical College on August 15 after severe fluctuations in blood pressure and that doctors found no life-threatening injuries. He died that night.
Police have rejected claims that Mafik died from a “brutal physical assault”.
In a statement reported by The News Mill, police said: “Following his death, baseless and false claims began circulating online alleging that Mafik had died from a ‘brutal physical assault’.” Police said an investigation had been launched and urged people not to spread what they described as misleading information.
Police have also said that a viscera examination was being arranged to help establish the cause of death.
Family Gives a Different Account
Mafik’s son, Sheikh Abdul Hafiz, has given a sharply different account.
Hafiz alleged that a group of men entered the family home on August 13 and attacked him and his father with crowbars and bamboo sticks. He claimed that his father intervened to protect him.
According to Hafiz’s account, the attackers told him: “We couldn’t kill you, so we’ll kill your father.”
The allegation has not been independently verified, and police have disputed the description of the injuries.
Hafiz also alleged that his family was threatened after he became involved in CJP’s “School Thik Karo” campaign, which focuses on the condition of government schools.
‘My Father Is No More. What Will I Do With Compensation?’
In the aftermath of his father’s death, Hafiz made an unusual demand.
Rather than seeking government compensation, he called for a school to be built in his father’s name.
“My father is no more. What will I do with government compensation? I want the government to build a world-class school in my late father’s name,” Hafiz told the media.
He also linked his father’s death to the family’s campaign over education.
“My father had to lose his life while raising his voice against the poor condition of the education system,” he said.
For Hafiz, the dispute is therefore not only about compensation or arrests. He has said he wants the educational campaign to continue.
“The students and young people of the country have taken to the streets. This fight will not stop. We will continue our efforts to improve the education system,” he said.
CJP Questions the Police Response
CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka has strongly criticised the police response and supported the family’s allegations.
Ranka accused local BJP supporters of threatening the family and alleged that the police failed to adequately protect them. These allegations remain disputed and are part of the wider controversy surrounding the case.
Ranka said:
“When our ‘Fix Our Schools’ campaign began, Abdul pledged to support our movement for educational reform; he simply went to the village headmaster, Kashinath Dey, to ask for permission. He wanted to see the school, conduct an audit, and discuss how the village’s government school could be improved.”
He further alleged that the family was attacked after Hafiz returned home.
“When his father stepped in to intervene, he was beaten as well. Even after this incident, the police remained indifferent.”
Bengal Police Rejects ‘False’ Claims
The police have maintained that the public narrative around Mafik’s death does not match the evidence available to investigators.
Police said eight people had been arrested—three named in the initial FIR and five additional suspects—and that a search was continuing for two others. A police guard has also reportedly been deployed at Hafiz’s residence.
The police statement urged the public to allow the investigation to proceed and warned against spreading rumours.
This creates the central tension in the case: the family and CJP describe a violent assault that led to Mafik’s death, while police say the deceased suffered only a minor injury and later died following severe blood-pressure fluctuations.
read more
Visakhapatnam Data Centres Will Not Affect Drinking Water, Lokesh Tells Andhra Assembly
बांकुड़ा में ‘स्कूल ठीक करो’ अभियान के बाद हिंसा का आरोप, CJP ने की गिरफ्तारी की मांग
