The Cockroach Janta Party on Friday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party sent “goons” to assault its team that had gone to inspect a government school in Rampura Kanwarpura village of Jaipur’s Bagru Assembly constituency.

The team had arrived in the village as part of the political campaign’s nationwide drive to improve the condition of government schools. Videos shared on social media showed some persons shouting slogans, hitting the team with sticks and throwing rocks at their vehicle.

“Vehicle windows were smashed, phones were broken, a woman was assaulted, my shirt was torn, and one of our team members suffered a fractured hand,” PTI quoted Cockroach Janta Party co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka as having alleged.

He said that residents of the village were not involved in violence.

“People were sent from outside to incite violence,” alleged Ranka. “It was the villagers who had requested us to come and inspect the school.”

Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged that the police failed to stop the violence despite being informed that the team would visit the school. He also shared an image on social media showing a vehicle with its rear window shattered.

Inspector Dharam Singh of the Shivdaspura police station told The Indian Express that there had been a “tussle” between residents and workers of the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign. He claimed that no one had been beaten up.

“Our civil defence people is already in the area to control the situation,” Singh told the newspaper. “We have not yet received any complaints regarding anyone. We are keeping an eye on the situation of the village.”

He also claimed that residents had opposed the campaign team’s visit and said they would not allow “outsiders” to enter the village, The Indian Express reported.

The campaign has accused Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar of trying to prevent it from highlighting the condition of government schools.

Ranka claimed that the school his team was visiting on Friday had been operating in a buffalo shed for several years. The school building has reportedly been declared unsafe, PTI reported.

The incident came in the wake of the Rajasthan government barring outsiders, except government officials on duty, from entering school campuses without the principal’s permission. Photography, videography, interviews, audio recording and live streaming of students, teachers or school activities also require approval.

The Cockroach Janta Party has criticised the order and said it will continue its campaign. The campaign has been sharing videos on social media recorded by its volunteers showing government schools functioning in poor condition in several states.

Written by Sara Varghese. Edited by Sneha.

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