Indian activists attacked by mob while inspecting rural school

Activists from the Indian youth movement 'Cockroach Janta Party' (CJP), known as 'Cucarachas,' faced a violent mob attack on Friday while attempting to inspect a rural school in Rajasthan. The CJP claims the school is functioning in deplorable conditions, likening it to a "buffalo stable."

Video footage shared by the CJP shows men aggressively blocking the activists' path, smashing vehicle windows, and destroying phones. One female activist was assaulted, an activist's shirt was torn, and another team member reportedly suffered a fractured hand. The group also reported being attacked with stones.

Ashutosh Ranka, a CJP leader, detailed the assault to the local PTI agency. The CJP has accused supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, of being behind the attack at the school in Rampura-Kanwarpura village. The movement questioned on X why the Rajasthan Police would permit such vandalism.

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The CJP team was attacked and beaten up for demanding better schools! Why is Rajasthan Police allowing this vandalism?

This incident follows a similar attack a week prior. After the CJP inspected a school in West Bengal, individuals allegedly stormed the home of a CJP activist, assaulting family members. The CJP claims the activist's father died from injuries sustained in that attack, again blaming BJP sympathizers. However, police, who have arrested eight individuals for the West Bengal incident, stated the 50-year-old man suffered only minor injuries and died from unrelated causes.

The CJP, which began as a satirical political movement on social media in May, has rapidly gained over 20 million followers. It has emerged as a significant challenge to Modi's government in recent years. The movement launched a campaign in August to improve rural public schools, encouraging parents and supporters to audit facilities, following protests that led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

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They broke the car windows and destroyed phones; they assaulted a woman, tore my shirt, and one of our team members suffered a fracture in his hand. They even attacked us with stones.