Sandeshkhali: NCST Says Received Complaints of Sexual Abuse, Land Grabs; TMC Assures Justice

Senior West Bengal ministers on Saturday visited the trouble-torn Sandeshkhali region amidst renewed protest and assured villagers that no wrongdoers will be spared, even as the NCST said it has received 50 complaints of sexual abuse and land grab from tribal families against TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his associates.

The NHRC also conducted on-site investigations in Sandeshkhali for the second consecutive day on Saturday while the state government officials maintained that they have received almost 1,250 complaints, including 400 related to land issues, from the restive area.

Earlier in the day, a CPI(M) delegation, which managed to enter the area, was barred by the police from visiting the villages, citing prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC.

Meanwhile, the verbal sparring between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP escalated, with the ruling party accusing the saffron camp of opportunism and the opposition party questioning the transparency of the state government.

The BJP cited the prevention of women MPs from visiting Sandeshkhali and meeting alleged victims of atrocities. In New Delhi, Ananta Nayak, Vice-Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), who recently visited the area stated that the panel learnt from the people Shahjahan and his followers forcibly withheld MNREGA wages from poor tribal families and subjected them to torture for voting against the TMC.

The riverine Sandeshkhali area in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district — situated on the borders of the Sunderbans, about 100 kilometres from Kolkata — has been on the boil for more than a month with protests against Shahjahan, who is absconding, and his supporters over allegations of land grabs and sexual abuse of locals.

Tension erupted in the Halder Para area of Sandeshkhali when some villagers tried to attack a TMC supporter, but the police brought the situation under control, an officer said.

Protestors demanded the immediate arrest of Shahjahan Sheikh who has been absconding since a mob attack on Enforcement Directorate officials, who had gone to search his premises in Sandeshkhali in connection with a corruption case, on January 5. Shiba Prasad Hajra and Uttam Sardar, considered close associates of Sheikh, were, however, arrested.

Police personnel patrolled the streets of Sandeshkhali, with ADG (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar visiting the area. State Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose and Irrigation Minister Partha Bhowmick, accompanied by Sandeshkhali MLA Sukumar Mahato, toured the area and spoke to the villagers, listening to their grievances.

“All the issues will be resolved. All the complaints will be addressed. No wrongdoers will be spared. The police are taking stern action. The opposition might try to fish in troubled waters but the people of the area have full faith in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee,” Bose told reporters after visiting the area. This marks the third visit by senior TMC leaders to the trouble-torn area.

Sandeshkhali’s TMC MLA Sukumar Mahato, who accompanied the delegation, asserted a proactive stance in resolving land disputes. “All measures are being taken to swiftly redress the grievances of the people. The party doesn’t support any wrongdoing,” he said.

A CPI(M) delegation led by Minakshi Mukhopadhyay was, however, prevented by the police from venturing into interior villages citing the imposition of prohibitory orders. They were stopped at Majher Para area, where the CPI(M) activists staged a sit-in and raised slogans against the police.

A team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) headed by panel member Vijaya Bharati Sayani also visited trouble-torn Sandeshkhali for the second consecutive day to investigate allegations of land-grabbing by some TMC leaders. One part of the team, comprising three members, went to Jeliakhali, while another team comprising two members visited Sandeshkhali police station and also spoke to villagers.