Jaipur- A government school in the Rampura-Kanwarpura area of Jaipur has been functioning out of a buffalo shed for several years. When a team from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) arrived to inspect the school, local residents stopped them and launched a physical attack. The team was assaulted, stones were pelted, car windows were smashed, clothes were torn, and stones packed into tubes were used to beat the members.
The CJP team was led by Ashutosh. He had announced the visit two days in advance. On Monday, when the team reached the location, a planned attack was carried out by some residents. Ashutosh said in his statement: “The school in Rampura, Kanwarpura has been running in a buffalo shed for many years. But when we went there for inspection, we were openly assaulted and stoned. Car windows were broken, stones were rained on the team. Clothes were torn. Stones were put in tubes and used to hit the team. My clothes were torn. All this happened at the behest of Madan Dilawar. Madan Dilawar is fine with children studying in a buffalo shed, but not with the school being fixed. Madan Dilawar ji – by sending goons today, you have shamed Rajasthan in the entire country. But we are not people who get scared by such goondaism. The schools will have to be fixed.”
A local villager opposed the visit, saying: “We don’t want to politicise the issue. Rs 12 lakh has been approved for our school. Villagers are capable of building the school. We had constructed a temple earlier and we are capable of building the temple of education as well. We don’t want any support from Cockroach Janata Party. We are opposed to such a party which calls for dividing the country and says bad words for Lord Ram. We oppose such people. We need people who work for the country.”
Speaking to the media later, Ranka said " The entire country saw BJP's hooliganism live today. Stone pelting was already happening there but the Police remained mute spectators. Elderly people pelted stones at the women in our team and broke their phones. This was pre-planned. All these goons should be arrested within 48 hours and withdraw the order; otherwise, this protest will expand from education to Madan Dilwar now...You should be ashamed of yourself. The school has been running in a buffalo shed for a year now, we want to get it repaired. BJP goons were present there...This is a black day in the democracy of Rajasthan..."
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke strongly criticised the role of the Rajasthan Police. He said: “Rajasthan Police seems to be a mute spectator while goons attack CJP volunteers for visiting government schools. They don’t seem to have a problem with schools running in buffalo stables, but somehow have a problem with CJP volunteers entering those schools. What exactly are they trying to protect?”
Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra condemned the attack. He said: “They were not villagers, but BJP workers. BJP workers will oppose everything that is in public interest. They will follow only orders from the top. If anyone is stopped from visiting a school or attacked, we condemn it. Congress will stand with everyone who is fed up with this government.”
The incident has brought into focus both the poor condition of the school infrastructure and the political confrontation surrounding efforts to highlight it. CJP has maintained that it will continue its campaign to improve the condition of schools.