Fresh protests erupt in Sandeshkhali; tribal panel records statement
Armed with lathis and bamboo sticks, local residents staged protests and vented their anger by setting ablaze a thatched structure near a pond.
Fresh protests erupted in Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Friday as dozens of women hit the streets and set ablaze a thatched structure linked to Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, seeking his and his aides’ arrest over allegations of sexual assault and land grabbing, even as state police chief Rajeev Kumar pledged action against the perpetrators.
Armed with lathis and bamboo sticks, local residents, particularly women, staged protests and vented their anger by setting ablaze a thatched structure near a pond, purportedly belonging to Shahjahan’s brother Sirajuddin, who is also a local TMC leader.
“Sirajuddin and his brother Shahjahan have usurped our land. They subjected us to molestation. We demand justice and the return of our land,” a protester said, seeking anonymity.
Sandeshkhali has been on the boil since early this month following allegations of sexual abuse of women and land grabbing by TMC leaders. Since February 7, the area has been witnessing protests by local women, demanding action against Shahjahan, who is a Zilla Parishad member, and his aides.
Shahjahan has been absconding since January 5 after a mob, allegedly comprising his supporters, attacked an Enforcement Directorate team that had gone to search his premises in a money laundering case pertaining to the multi-crore ration distribution scam.
So far, 18 people, including local TMC leaders Shibaprasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar, both close aides of Shahjahan, have been arrested in connection with complaints of sexual assault, land grabbing and inciting violence in Sandeshkhali.
On February 17, director general of police (DGP) Kumar confirmed that charges of gang rape and attempt to murder under sections 376D and 307, respectively, of the Indian Penal Code have been added against Hazra and Sardar.
A second first information report for gang rape was registered against Hazra and his two aides – Amir Ali Gaji and Bhanu Mondol – based on a statement registered by a woman before a magistrate.
The fresh protests came hours after director general of police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar, who visited Sandeshkhali on Wednesday, urged villagers not to take law into their own hands.
“I came to speak with the police force. I would urge the people to cooperate with us and tell the police about their grievances. We will try to solve them. I urge people not to take law into their own hands,” he told reporters in Kolkata.
On Wednesday, Kumar went to Sandeshkhali police station and held meetings with local officers.
The fresh protests came amid a visit by a team from the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) to review complaints of forced land seizures and sexual abuse by local TMC men in the area.
It also coincided with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s protest against the ruling party outside Sandeshkhali police station. State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar was arrested but later released on bail.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address a gathering at Barasat, around 80 km north west of Sanedshkhali, on March 6, according to Majumdar.
“Majumdar was arrested under section 151 of CrPC. He was later released on bail,” a senior IPS officer said, seeking anonymity.
“We were peacefully protesting when police arrested me. The way police behaved is not desirable in a democracy,” Majumdar said.
Late in the evening a BJP delegation led by Majumdar visited Raj Bhavan in Kolkata to meet governor CV Ananda Bose.
Reacting to the BJP’s protest, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: “The BJP should first ask (leader of opposition) Suvendu Adhikari to surrender. He is named in CBI’s FIR in a chit fund case. How can it be that BJP leaders like Adhikari will remain in the open without being arrested and his party will demand the arrest of someone else?”
