Sandeshkhali Violence: In a fresh attack on the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal over the violence in Sandeshkhali, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday released a documentary on its social media handles to highlight the alleged land grab and sexual exploitation of women in the area. Meanwhile, West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said on Thursday that police will listen to the complaints of every individual in Sandeshkhali and strict action will be taken against the guilty.
A three-member delegation of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) reached trouble-torn Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district on Thursday morning and will speak to locals to take stock of the situation. A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused TMC’s Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of “land-grab and sexually assaulting” them under coercion.
Sandeshkhali Violence: What We Know So Far
- In a post on X, the BJP shared a documentary and said, “A truth that’ll shock us. A truth that’ll pain us. A truth that’ll shake our conscience.The truth of #Sandeshkhali, that Mamata Banerjee is trying to hide…” The documentary has several Sandeshkhali women speaking of the crimes they were subjected to.
- The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the West Bengal government and the state’s police chief following allegations of ongoing “human rights violations” amid escalating violence in strife-torn area, news agency PTI reported.
- A special team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) constituted to investigate allegations of sexual violence and land grabbing will visit Sandeshkhali on Thursday.
- The NHRC has issued notices to West Bengal chief secretary BP Gopalika, DGP, and sought reports regarding the incidents of violence in Sandeshkhali and details about the action taken against the perpetrators of crimes there within four weeks.
- On Wednesday, Rajeev Kumar went to violence torn Sandeshkhali and stayed there overnight to assess the situation in the troubled areas in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, as reported by news agency PTI. He assured that strict action would be taken against those found involved in torturing women.
- Speaking to reporters Dhamakhali, West Bengal DGP Kumar said, “I came here to talk to my officers. It’s our responsibility to see the well-being of the people. We will listen to the complaints of every individual. If there is any incident regarding land grabbing or anything else, we will take strict action against those found guilty. If people are found involved in torturing, we will take appropriate action against them,” as quoted by PTI.
- West Bengal DGP Kumar held meetings with ADG South Bengal Supratim Sarkar, Basirhat Police District SP Hasan Mehedi Rehman, and other police officers and also visited the adjoining islands of Situlia, Sardarpara, and Manipur on Wednesday evening to understand the situation there, as reported by PTI.
- An official said that police registered the second gangrape case against the three prime accused—Shajahan Sheikh, Uttam Sardar, and Sibaprasad Hazra on Wednesday after a woman recorded her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a magistrate, PTI reported. The trio has been booked under IPC sections 376D (gangrape), 342 (wrongfully confines any person), and 506 (criminal intimidation).
- Sandeshkhali grabbed media attention after a mob attack on Enforcement Directorate officials on January 5. The officials of the probe agency went there to search the premises of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam.
- The women in the area alleged that Shajahan and his “gang” including Hazra and Sardar, captured swathes of land by force, besides sexually harassing them.
