'We'll Frame You...': Bengal CJP Members Detained, Harassed Before Delhi Protest

At least five people, including 25-year-old CJP activist Abdul Hafiz, were allegedly picked up from a Kolkata hotel.

Five people, including 25-year-old CJP activist Abdul Hafiz, were allegedly picked up from a hotel in Kadampukur, New Town, near Kolkata, on 8 October.

(Photo: Altered by Vibhushita Singh/The Quint)

“We are fighting to protect the Constitution against vote theft under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. That is why this is happening to us,” said Prakriti Sahu, the East Zone coordinator of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

Sahu is referring to the crackdown on CJP members and activists, or even those simply planning to travel to the capital to take part in the 10 October protest. On Thursday, 8 October, in one such crackdown near Kolkata, five people were allegedly picked up from a hotel, harassed, and detained for nearly 13 hours.

Among them was 25-year-old Abdul Hafiz, a CJP activist from Bankura, who was in news a few weeks ago following the alleged murder of his father over the former's participation in spotlighting the poor conditions of schools in his district.

“They are afraid of the massive mobilisation that is expected from West Bengal for the gathering at Jantar Mantar on 10 October. That is why they have started these illegal detentions and harassment."

Prakriti Sahu

What Happened on 8 October?

At around 8:30 am on 8 October, officers in uniform and plain clothes from Eco Park police station allegedly picked up the five protesters, including three women aged 18, 19, and 37, from the hotel located in Kadampukur in Kolkata's New Town.

The detainees told The Quint they were at the hotel before they could catch the train to New Delhi to attend the anti-Gyanesh Kumar protests at Jantar Mantar.

From Eco Park, the five detainees were taken to Bidhan Nagar North police station. Before their release after nearly 13 years, they were taken to Salt Lake Sewa Hospital, according to the detainees. They also allege that their families were not informed about where the five were being held for most of the day.

After his release, Hafiz spoke to The Quint over the phone and alleged assault at the hands of the police. He also alleged that police threatened him, saying, “We’ll frame you in such a case that you won’t get out for six years."

The women detainees have also alleged sexual misconduct against the police. Among the detained supporters, a woman (name withheld) alleged to The Quint that a "police officer in plain clothes" manhandled her.

“In the morning, the police knocked on the door. When I opened the door, they pushed me aside and entered the room. Two of them were women police officers, and they took my mother away."

According to her, another male police officer in plain clothes, who was not wearing a name tag, then allegedly grabbed her by the waist and took her phone from her pocket. “I felt disgusted and violated. A grown man cannot touch an 18-year-old girl like that,” she alleged.

She further alleged that the detainees were subjected to prolonged physical and psychological distress. “We were subjected to 13 hours of torture today, which left me in severe mental distress. I eventually lost consciousness,” she said.

The Quint could not independently verify the allegations of assault or sexual misconduct. However, it has accessed copies of the medical reports of all detainees, which note "alleged physical assault" and lists specific injuries. Eco Park Police Officer-in-Charge (OC)'s office has rubbished the allegations, claiming that the activists were just doing "drama".

Abdul Hafiz's medical certifdicate post assault.

(Photo: Special Arrangement/Soumo Mondal/The Quint)

A senior Eco Park police official, requesting anonymity, said the police had detained the five based on "credible information" regarding a "specific case, the details of which the police were not at liberty to disclose."

The officer, who had been part of the team that picked the activists, said that all allegations of "assault", including the sexual assault allegations, by one of the detained women were "untrue".

"We have seen the dramatic statements these people have been giving of asault and torture. It is not true. It was a routine interrogation. They were offered food and water throughout the period and even given medical attention when they sought it."

The activists have shared their MLCs from Sewa Hospital that note injuries. However, police claimed they "may have had the injuries from before," adding that "no police officer assaulted the men or the women."

Bidhan Nagar North OC, speaking to The Quint, added that though he himself was not present when the detainees were brought to the police station, he got reports from the staff that no untoward incident had happened. "An interrogation can last up to 24 hours if need be. This one lasted for 13 hours. It is not unsual."

Responding to allegations that detentions were part of a coordinated strategy to harass CJP protesters, the OC said,

"I have no idea about such plans. We are only acting based on intelligence and investigations."

Speaking to The Quint, Hafiz on Friday, 9 October, said that even after sending them to the hospital, the police returned and made the detainees film forced videos and statements, stating the police have done nothing wrong. Currently in Durgapur, he added,

"We are constantly being watched. They are trying to prevent us from going to Delhi and threaten us with false cases."

Hafiz has also been sharing updates on his social media pages.

New Town Deputy Commisioner Jyotirmoy Roy told The Quint that there was no "state-wide effort" to detain CJP workers.

"Those alleging illegal detentions, assault etc should file complaints, and if there's any issue, the matters will be investigated as such."

Hafiz's detention comes less than two months after the death of his father, Sheikh Mohammad Mafik, in Karishunda village under Indas block of Bankura district. According to him and other CJP supporters, his father was attacked because of his son's involvement in the party's campaign for school reforms. The attack and subsequent death reportedly took place between 13 and 15 August.

Eleven people have been arrested in connection with the case.

Detentions in Howra, New Town, Asansol

The detentions in West Bengal have not been limited to New Town. Three more CJP supporters were detained in Howrah.

During the afternoon of 8 October, police picked up three people from different parts of Howrah—Salam Uddin, 38; Ranjit Kole, 40; and SK Siraj, 39, according to CJP's East Zone coordinator Sahu.

"Salam Uddin was being detained at Shibpur Police Station. Ranjit Kole was being detained at Jagacha Police Station. SK Siraj had been released from Bankura Police Station."

Prakriti Sahu

Police released the CJP workers detained in Howrah at around 12:30 am, Sahu told The Quint.

Meanwhile, The Quint has learnt that a CJP worker may have been unlawfully detained in Asansol. Mohammad Sufian Ansari, 22, a resident of Raniganj, was picked up by the police at around 1:30 am on 8 October.

His sister, who did not wish to be named, told The Quint, “The police picked up my brother from our house in Raniganj, and are now keeping him in Asansol. I went to meet him this morning. The police are telling us to bring a lawyer.”

More than 24 hours later, Sufian has still not been produced before a court, according to Mohammad Arbaaz Khan, another CJP worker from Asansol.

“We had a meeting in Asansol on 7 October called by Hafiz, which Sufian attended. After that, the police called Sufian to the police station. He then returned to his home in Raniganj. Later that night, the police picked him up from Raniganj. They initially kept him at Asansol North police station. He was subsequently taken to a police outpost. More than 24 hours have passed, but he has still not been produced before a court.”

When The Quint contacted Asansol North police station for a response, the police denied that Sufian was in their custody, contradicting the account provided by his sister and the claims made by the CJP worker.

Police Also Visit Homes of CJP Supporters

There were also reports of police visits to the homes of several other CJP supporters. Sunil Kumar Tiwari, 60, in Howrah Maidan told The Quint that a group of men in civilian clothes showed up at his his house.

“Some people in civil clothes came to my house looking for me. They stayed at my house from around 11:30 am to 2 pm. They repeatedly called me and asked me to come,” he said.

In South 24 Parganas, police personnel in plain clothes also allegedly visited the home of Asadur Rahman Gazi in Bishnupur. He added,

“They asked my parents why they could not reach me on my phone and where I was.”

CJP East Zone's Sahu alleged that the detentions were linked to the party's planned mobilisation in Delhi.

Abdul Hafiz, meanwhile, told The Quint that although the police action has caused him to miss his train to Delhi on 8 October, he is still trying to find a way to go.

"We will find out tomorrow whether I am able to go or not," he said.

(As per latest updates received from Abdul, he and and four others (who had previously been detained with him from the New Town hotel) have been detained yet again at Durgapur airport while trying to leave for Delhi. The Quint could not independently verify this. It has reached out to Durgapur Police for clarification. This story will be updated as and when a response is recieved.)

(Soumo Mondal is an independent journalist reporting on news and politics from West Bengal.)