Political parties have made West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali their latest battleground, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The village in North 24 Parganas district has been tense with a large number of women accusing TMC strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of land-grab and sexually assaulting them under coercion.
While the ruling TMC on Tuesday underlined that it was taking action on allegations of sexual atrocities and land grab in Sandeshkhali, an MLA of the Indian Secular Front was arrested and senior state Congress leaders were prevented from heading towards the trouble-torn district.
The BJP, in its press conference, fired another salvo at chief minister Mamata Banerjee over the issue, alleging that she has given “protection” to TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh due to her “appeasement politics”. Banerjee’s Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai, meanwhile, wrote to her seeking strict action against culprits responsible for sexually assaulting tribal women and grabbing land in the village.
The riverine area – situated on the borders of the Sundarbans, about 100 km from Kolkata – has been on the boil for more than a month with protests against Shajahan, who is absconding, and his supporters. He has evaded the authorities since a mob attack on ED officials on January 5.
Here’s the latest update on the situation:
What did the Chhattisgarh CM say?
Sai said putting the lives of tribal people in danger for “appeasement and vote bank politics” is intolerable, and appealed to Banerjee that the TMC must rise above political considerations for the sake of humanity. He shared a picture of the letter written in Hindi on his X, saying incidents like the rape of more than 50 women from tribal communities and grabbing land of tribals are shameful.
“I am sending a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Ms @MamataOfficial seeking stern action against the culprits involved in the crime. Hope Mamata ji will take cognisance of this letter and do justice to the victims of West Bengal,” he added.
Sai further said incidents of “injustice done to mothers and sisters” are heart-wrenching. “In Sandeshkhali area of your state (WB), incidents like brutal rape of more than 50 tribal women, grabbing land of thousands of tribals, and snatching the money given towards MNREGA wages have tarnished the humanity,” he wrote.
He dubbed the incidents gruesome and horrifying citing reports given by the National Tribal Commission. He highlighted the rich culture of West Bengal and its history of women empowerment. “The movement for women’s empowerment started in the Bengal province and history is witness to it. Swami Vivekananda, Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, and Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee hailed from Bengal, which is known to the world for its cultural richness. In such an aware state, the civilised society can’t tolerate atrocities being committed against the deprived sections of the society,” the letter stated.
He hoped Banerjee will order immediate action and ensure strict punishment of the culprits, Sai said. “I urge you to take legal action against criminals like Shahjahan and Sirajuddin along with their political protectors. Hope you will rise above political considerations and take decisions in this matter related to the interest of humanity,” he added.
What happened to ISF MLA and Congress leaders?
Nausad Siddique, an ISF MLA, was arrested while senior state Congress leaders were prevented from going to Sandeshkhali. Despite tight security, however, a delegation of pro-Left intellectuals managed to enter the village to engage with local residents and assess the prevailing situation.
Siddique, who represents Bhangar constituency in South 24 Parganas district, was apprehended near Science City under Section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which pertains to arresting a person to prevent cognisable offences, police said. He was taken to the Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar. Authorities have imposed prohibitory orders in sensitive areas of Sandeshkhali.
Expressing surprise over his arrest, Siddique affirmed his intention to meet the residents of Sandeshkhali and underscored his compliance with regulations. “I don’t know why they arrested me. This is several kilometres away from Sandeshkhali. I was going there to meet the villagers. I did not break any rules. Why was I stopped here when prohibitory orders have been imposed in Sandeshkhali?” he asked. A woman ISF leader was arrested in the area recently on charges related to the ongoing violence.
A delegation from the West Bengal Congress, led by spokesperson Soumya Aich Roy, was also prevented from visiting the region and detained at Dhamakhali before being escorted to Nazat police station. Expressing frustration, Aich Roy questioned the motives behind the government’s actions and lamented suppression of local voices. “Why are we being stopped from visiting the area? What is the government trying to hide? The state government is not allowing the locals to speak out,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Siddique and two of his security guards were stopped by a large contingent of Kolkata Police. “Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been imposed in certain areas in Sandeshkhali. We cannot allow disruption of law and order by allowing people to visit those areas. That’s why he (Siddique) was stopped,” a senior police officer told PTI.
Siddique said he was scheduled to hold two programmes in Sandeshkhali. Meanwhile, a delegation of pro-Left intellectuals managed to visit the area and speak to the local residents. The CPI(M) and BJP criticised Siddique’s arrest, alleging partisan policing influenced by the ruling TMC.
In response, the ruling party said the MLA had been arrested as part of an effort to restore peace in Sandeshkhali, attributing the recent disturbances to the disruptive actions of opposition parties. “The administration has been trying hard to restore peace in the area. When those efforts have been quite successful, the opposition is trying to disturb the peace in the area. The opposition CPI(M), BJP and ISF have been involved in vitiating the atmosphere of Sandeshkhali,” said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
What did the BJP say in its press conference?
The BJP, in its press conference on Tuesday, said appeasement matters more than justice for the TMC. Demanding the immediate arrest of Shajahan, party spokesperson Prem Shukla cited Ghosh’s statement that the TMC strongman will be arrested within a week to assert that it is now clear that the ruling party knows his whereabouts.
“It clearly means that Mamata Banerjee has given protection to a rapist,” he said, targeting the opposition INDIA bloc for its silence on the issue. He should be immediately arrested to ensure justice for the complainants, Shukla said. Banerjee has accused the BJP of stoking the issue and claimed that the party is behind some of the complaints.
What is the TMC saying?
Trinamool Congress leaders on Tuesday said the state government is taking action on the allegations against Shajahan. Addressing a press conference in the national capital, party leaders Sushmita Dev, Sagarika Goshe and Saket Gokhale accused the BJP of politicising the Sandeshkhali issue, and said the state is taking action and the key accused will be arrested soon.
Asked about the Chhattisgarh CM’s letter to Banerjee, Dev said he should focus on his own state. “Chhattisgarh chief minister’s letter is a gimmick. Where were these leaders when a tribal girl was stripped and raped? Did he write to the prime minister?” Dev asked, referring to an incident in the ethnic violence-hit Manipur.
“Mamata Banerjee is following her Rajdharma. You were quiet when Manipur incidents were happening. Keep your crocodile tears to yourself,” she said.
Gokhale alleged that there have been at least four incidents of rape in Chhattisgarh in the last few weeks. “The Chhattisgarh CM should look within. People still don’t know who the chief minister of Chhattisgarh is…he should look at his own state,” he said.
Ghose said, “The West Bengal police is acting, will act and will continue to act. The government is right there on the ground, complaints have been recorded and land is being returned to the aggrieved parties. The law is being upheld and justice will be delivered. Shajahan Sheikh will be brought to justice.”
Asked if the Sandeshkhali issue will have an impact on the poll outcome, Dev said welfare schemes run by the state government will speak for themselves. “In a democracy to say what people will do is a sign of overconfidence, which only BJP has. Mamata Banerjee is not saying anything out of arrogance, but she has faith. The welfare schemes have benefited lakhs of people,” she said.
Dev also said the CM will soon visit Sandeshkhali, and asked when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Manipur. “In Sandeshkhali, 20 arrests have been made. Now that the high court has clarified there is no stay on the arrest (of Shajahan Sheikh)… the Bengal police will act on it and is consistently acting on it… Mamata Banerjee does not run away the way BJP ran away from Manipur… She is making sure people irrespective of party allegiance are getting arrested,” she added.
(With PTI inputs)
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