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Jaipur: A Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) team that had gone to inspect a government school in a Rajasthan village on Friday, August 21, was attacked and forcibly pushed back allegedly by locals, resulting in a scuffle with the youth group warning of a bigger protest in the state if the attackers are not arrested within 48 hours and an order restricting outsiders’ entry into schools is not revoked.

The incident took place in Rampura Kanwarpura village in Jaipur district when the CJP team, as part of its ongoing ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign to inspect the condition of government schools and interact with students and teachers, faced opposition.

The CJP claimed its workers were attacked and pelted with stones by “BJP goons”, with CJP convenor Abhijeet Dipke slamming the police for being “mute spectators while goons attacked CJP volunteers”.

DCP (South) Rajarshi Verma did not respond to calls while Bagru DSP Dharmendra Sharma earlier in the day said he was not aware of any such development.

School Education Minister Madan Dilawar alleged that the CJP wants to create disturbance in Rajasthan similar to what it did at Jantar Mantar.

‘Police did not intervene’

CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka alleged that despite members of his team being assaulted, vehicles damaged and women supporters roughed up, the police did not intervene.

The state education department had issued a directive on Monday, restricting unauthorised entry, photography and videography in government schools after CJP announced it would visit schools across Rajasthan. The CJP team had planned to visit two government schools on Friday.

Giving an ultimatum to the government, Ranka said, “We are giving you 48 hours. All these people should be arrested, and the order restricting outsider entry into schools should be withdrawn. Otherwise, this movement will go beyond education and target Madan Dilawar.”

Videos show heated exchanges

Dipke, in a post on X, asked, “Goons of BJP are after the blood of Ashutosh and other CJP volunteers. How can @PoliceRajasthan allow this kind of attack?”

Videos of the incident showed a large number of people engaging in a heated exchange with the CJP team, pushing and shoving its members as they tried to enter the village. Some clips also showed smashed windows of cars, believed to belong to the visiting CJP team.

“All levels of disgust were crossed today. For the past several years, the school at Rampura Kanwarpura has been running from a buffalo shed.

“But when we reached there for an inspection, we were openly assaulted, pelted with stones. Car windows were smashed, and stones were rained down on the team. Clothes were torn. My clothes were also torn,” Ranka told reporters.

“Our volunteers’ hands were broken; vehicles were smashed. Women were also targeted and mistreated by men. Their phones were broken,” he alleged.

“Not even a single policeman was present there. Instead, BJP workers were present,” he claimed.

The school building was closed for students after being declared ‘unsafe’, with classes being held in a cattle enclosure close to it.

The villagers, however, claimed that the government had already sanctioned funds for the repair work, which could be carried out with local efforts.

Ranka said he had visited this school about a year ago, and it was in the same condition then.

‘Police a mute spectator’

In another post on X, Dipke wrote, “Rajasthan Police seems to be a mute spectator while goons attack CJP volunteers for visiting govt 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?

Ranka alleged that the CJP team was attacked on the orders of Minister Dilawar.

“Madan Dilawar finds it acceptable for children to study in a buffalo shed. But fixing the school? That’s not acceptable,” he said.

“Mr Dilawar, you sent goons today and shamed the entire state of Rajasthan in the eyes of the country. But we are not the kind of people who get intimidated by such thuggery,” he added.

“Today, the entire country has seen BJP’s hooliganism live. This is a black day for democracy in Rajasthan,” he said.

Minister hits back

Dilawar retorted, saying the BJP wants to see the children of Rajasthan educated but Congress and the CJP do not like the fact that the education department is progressing under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma.

“They do not like Rajasthan progressing. There is growth in the field of education. The student who scored the highest marks in Rajasthan is from a government school. That is why they are distressed. That is why they want to create incidents like the one in Bagru to create obstacles. But the people of Rajasthan know everything,” he said.

Ranka also alleged that police were aware of stone-pelting in the area but did not intervene.

“Stone-pelting had already started there, yet the police raised their hands and said they would not do anything and that it was our matter,” he alleged.

According to sources, women allegedly threw mud at some female members of the CJP and drove them away.

The locals reportedly barricaded the main approach road to the village before the CJP team arrived and were seen checking vehicles entering the area.

The villagers later staged a sit-in outside the school and raised slogans against the CJP. BJP workers were also present during the protest, according to sources.

Congress says attackers were BJP workers

Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasara claimed the attackers were BJP workers, not villagers.

“BJP workers will oppose all work related to public welfare. They will only follow orders that come from above on a slip of paper. If someone is stopped from going to a school or is attacked, we condemn it. The Congress will stand with every person who is troubled by this government,” he said.