Sandeshkhali Violence News Highlights: Six-Member Team Of Child Rights Panel Visits Strife-Torn Area
Sandeshkhali Violence Highlights: Suvendu Adhikari, a BJP MLA from Nandigram, prayed for direction to the state government for allowing him to visit Sandeshkhali to meet the alleged victims.
"The entire country knows about what happened in Sandeshkhali. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and JP Nadda condemned the incident (during BJP National Convention 2024). Women move forward under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi...but in Sandeshkhali women are being raped and despite being a woman Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee is silent," BJP leader Locket Chatterjee told ANI.
Local TMC leader Shibu Hazra was arrested over allegations of land grab and sexual harassment in Sandeshkhali.
"A woman has made a statement before the magistrate and we have added this thing and will bring all the perpetrators to the book whosoever he is...We will be reviewing the situation area-wise, and in a day or two, we will remove Section 144," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar told ANI.
"We won't say that we are extremely happy but yes, Mamata Banerjee's Police has acknowledged. Sandeshkhali is not just in Sandeshkhali, it is all across Bengal...all under the supervision and guidance of Mamata Banerjee...she has been giving support and inspiration to these criminals because it is all give and take policy," BJP leader Agnimitra Paul told ANI.
"I challenge you to impose Article 356. Do not try to scare us with these tactics. The comments of Mithun Da on the Sandeshkhali incident are baseless," TMC leader Kunal Ghosh told ANI on remarks of Union Minister Darshana Jardosh and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty.
A six-member team of West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) visited violence-hit Sandeshkhali to look into the complaints of child abuse in the area, news agency PTI reported.
The BJP delegation, after meeting West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, said they will interact with the women protesting in Sandeshkhali, ANI reported.
A six-member BJP delegation, which was stopped from visiting Sandeshkhali, met West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar at a private hospital in Kolkata, PTI reported.
Leader of opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Friday moved Calcutta High Court seeking a direction to the state government to allow him to visit unrest-hit Sandeshkhali after being prevented by police from going there for the second time on Thursday.Adhikari also prayed for deployment of CRPF for confidence building of villagers in Sandeshkhali area, which is witnessing protests over allegations of sexual atrocities on women by some people owing allegiance to the ruling Trinamool Congress.
BSP supremo Mayawati on Friday voiced concern over the violence in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali and urged the Mamata Banerjee government to take strict action against the culprits. The ongoing tension and violence in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal due to the recent incident of harassment of women etc.. is a matter of great concern, she said on X.
On his visit to Sandeshkhali on Thursday, Arun Halder, Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes said, "When we visited Sandeshkhali, Shahjahan Sheikh and his gang had created a very terrified atmosphere that people were so scared to speak out. They were saying that he and his gang would attack them again once we left... We went to Sandeshkhali PS but they fled after seeing us and did not talk to us... We have sent a report to President Droupadi Murmu... Under Article 338 of the Constitution, scheduled castes and tribes need to be protected but it is being violated, and that too with the support of govt. So a President's rule can be imposed here (West Bengal)"
A delegation of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes which visited Sandeshkhali to probe alleged harassment of women by TMC leaders, submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu, officials said.
BJP MP and member of the delegation visiting Sandeshkhali, Brijlal said, "This is Mamta Banerjee's dictatorship. Two union ministers and 4 MPs are present here still, we are being stopped. Mamata Banerjee wants us not to visit there (Sandeshkhali)."
After being stopped from visiting Sandeshkhali, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul said, "It clearly shows how scared Mamata Banerjee and her government are. Union ministers are not being allowed to go. Section 144 has been imposed, we said we want only 5 people to go but we were not allowed. Then we said only 2 ministers would be going but they are still not being allowed to go. They (Police) have strict instructions that BJP's central govt delegation should not be allowed. Mamta Banerjee knows what has happened. Hindu women have been raped, they want to suppress it. West Bengal is burning."
Background
A six-member fact-finding team, including two union ministers, was on Friday stopped from visiting Sandeshkhali, which has been rocked by protests over alleged atrocities on villagers by TMC leaders.
The police did not allow the BJP team to go to the unrest-hit Sandeshkhali, citing prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC, Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik said.
After being stopped at Rampur village on the way to Sandeshkhali block, the six-member delegation of the saffron party staged a ‘dharna’ and alleged mishandling by the cops. BJP leaders are now on their way to meet the West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and apprise him of the incident.
“The BJP central team was stopped by police from visiting unrest-hit Sandeshkhali. The police are citing prohibitory orders. We said only four of us would go, but we were not permitted,” Union Minister Annapurna Devi, who is the convenor of the team, said.
Bhoumik, the union minister of state for social justice and empowerment, alleged that he police are trying to protect the culprits.
"The police are very prompt in stopping us. We are union ministers and MPs, and there are certain protocols. The state police and the administration are not bothered about those protocols. Had the police shown similar promptness in arresting Shahjahan Sheikh, the situation would have been different,” Annapurna Devi said, echoing Bhoumik.
A large number of women in Sandeshkhali accused Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of land-grab and sexually assaulting them under coercion. Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly affiliated to him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his premises in connection with a ration scam on January 5.
Members of the BJP central team alleged that the law and order in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district was non-existent. BJP president J P Nadda has constituted the six-member committee of the party MPs to visit Sandeshkhali where women have been protesting against alleged atrocities by local TMC leaders.'
Protests continued unabated in Sandeshkhali for the seventh consecutive day on Thursday, with a notable presence of women demonstrators demanding the arrest of Shajahan Sheikh and his associates.
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