West Bengal News: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) lodged a complaint to the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday against the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, and other leaders after they confessed on camera that the Sandeshkhali rape accusations were concocted, as reported by news agency ANI. Earlier, the TMC held a protest march in Sandeshkhali's Trimohini area against the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) alleged conspiracy against women in the area following the release of a sting operation video that claimed that the entire incident was the conspiracy of the saffron party.
A video purportedly released by the TMC showed the BJP mandal president from Sandeshkhali, who was heard saying that the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, is behind the whole conspiracy, as reported by ANI. On Sunday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned the saffron party not to disrespect the mothers of Bengal, as once the self-respect of women is lost, it cannot be regained.
Sting Operation Video
On Saturday, a fresh controversy erupted in Sandeshkhali after a video of a sting operation surfaced, which was broadcast by a local television channel. In the alleged video, a person, purportedly a BJP Mandal (booth) president named Gangadhar Koyal is heard saying that Sandeshkhali women, who weren't sexually assaulted, were projected as 'rape' victims at the behest of the LoP, as reported by ANI.
The person in the video claimed that Suvendu Adhikari 'helped' him get this done and said that the former told him that the TMC's strongman in the area, Shahjahan Sheikh, wouldn't be arrested unless he is falsely implicated in a "rape case," as reported by ANI. However, the news channel that broke the alleged sting operation did not check the veracity of the clip.
Shahjahan Sheikh, who is the key accused in the Sandeshkhali violence, is currently behind bars in connection with the attack on a team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) while it was in the process of raiding his residence in connection with the alleged ration scam.
Sandeshkhali Violenece
The women of Sandeshkhali in the North 24 Parganas district took to the streets earlier against the ruling TMC and Shahjahan Sheikh, accusing him and his aides of perpetrating atrocities on them while also gobbling up their land. Multiple women in the area accused Shajahan and his aides of "land-grab and sexual assault" under coercion.