Sandeshkhali Violence: The members of the Fact-Finding Committee, who were visiting violence-torn Sandeshkhali in West Bengal on Sunday, were briefly arrested at Bhojerhat, South 24 Parganas. The members of the committee were stopped by the police from going to the strife-torn area.
A member of the Fact-Finding Committee, OP Vyas, said that the constitutional machinery is collapsed in the state and the police are executing illegal orders and taking the law into their own hands.
"We are sitting here obediently to oppose as they (police) have stopped us illegally which is against our rights. We'll complain about it to the CM, Governor, Union HM and even to the PM. During Ram Navami, they did the same and stopped us because they were hiding something... I don't understand what kind of picture this state govt wants to portray before the world... Constitutional machinery is collapsed in the state. Unfortunately, Police are executing illegal orders and taking the law in hands. We want to meet victims of Sandeshkhali," OP Vyas said.
Charu Wali Khanna, said that the police had purposely stopped the committee members and were creating problems for the common people. "We were visiting Sandeshkhali, but they have stopped us...Police have purposely stopped us and are creating problems for the common people. Police are not letting us meet the victims of Sandeshkhali," Khanna said.
Deputy Commissioner, Bhangar Division, Kolkata Police, Saikat Ghosh, said that the members of the committee were trying to break the police barricade unlawfully, because of which they were arrested under preventive sections.
"We were requesting them to not cross from here but they were trying to break the police barricade unlawfully. So, we had to arrest them under Preventive Sections...If there is information of a 'breach of peace', police can arrest them under preventive sections," Saikat Ghosh.