The Cockroach Janta Party on Friday accused supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party of attacking members of its campaign team during a visit to inspect a government school in Jaipur district, an allegation the police disputed.
The team had travelled to Rampura Kanwarpura village in the Bagru assembly constituency as part of the party’s nationwide campaign highlighting the condition of government schools.
Videos circulated on social media appeared to show people shouting slogans, striking the team’s vehicle with sticks and throwing stones at it.
Cockroach Janta Party co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka said vehicle windows were smashed, mobile phones were damaged and a woman member of the team was assaulted. He also said his shirt was torn and another team member suffered a fractured hand, according to media reports.
Ranka said the attackers were outsiders and that local residents had asked the campaign team to inspect the school.
“People were sent from outside to create violence,” he alleged.
Party founder Abhijeet Dipke accused police of failing to prevent the confrontation despite being informed about the planned visit. He posted photographs showing a vehicle with a shattered rear window.
Police gave a different account.
Dharam Singh, an inspector at the Shivdaspura police station, told The Indian Express that there had been a tussle between villagers and members of the campaign team, but said there had been no reports of anyone being beaten.
Police and civil defence personnel were deployed in the area to prevent the situation from escalating, Singh said, adding that no formal complaints had been received at the time.
Singh said villagers had opposed the team’s entry and objected to outsiders visiting the village.
Ranka also accused Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar of attempting to obstruct the campaign’s efforts to document the condition of government schools.
He said the school visited by the team had been operating from a buffalo shed for several years and that the school building had been declared unsafe, according to media reports.
The confrontation follows a recent Rajasthan government order restricting entry by outsiders into school premises without the principal’s permission. The rules also require approval for photography, video recording, interviews, audio recording and live streaming involving students, teachers or school activities.
The Cockroach Janta Party has opposed the restrictions and said it would continue its campaign, which has featured social media videos showing poor conditions at government schools in several states.
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