The Trinamool Congress has accused the BJP of eager to trigger hassle.
Sandeshkhali:
Amid a political firestorm between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP over claims of sexual assault by aides of a strongman from the ruling occasion in Sandeshkhali, NDTV spoke to a few of the ladies, who mentioned they’re ”residing in worry”. Conversations with the ladies revealed that whereas the allegations of rape is probably not true, many have been known as to the occasion workplace at odd hours and have been threatened in the event that they refused. Some ladies additionally spoke of their husbands being tortured.
NDTV visited Sandeshkhali, an island near the Indo-Bangladesh border the place prohibitory orders have been imposed on all entry factors, on Wednesday. Whereas some ladies who’ve been protesting towards Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjahan’s aides agreed to talk, none of them wished to disclose their id in entrance of tv cameras, fearing reprisal and persecution.
One girl, who participated within the protests earlier, advised NDTV, ”These incidents should have taken place, in any other case why will the ladies say these items? You need to enquire for your self. Why else will ladies come out on the streets and converse out? Are they mendacity? There have to be reality in these statements.”
”We live in worry. We do not come out of our properties due to worry,” she added.
One other girl mentioned, ”They (Shahjahan’s aides) would name ladies for conferences or rallies however there was no mounted time. It may very well be day or evening. We must go each time they known as and if we did not, they’d threaten us.”
”Even when we didn’t wish to go, they’d pressure us. They gave us examples of the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme and the free rice scheme. They mentioned Didi (West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee) is feeding you however you continue to will not go to conferences? Even whether it is at evening, you need to go or we are going to kidnap you, they’d say,” one other girl claimed.
The ladies named Sheikh Shahjahan’s aides, Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar. Whereas Sardar has been arrested, Hazra is on the run. Shahjahan has additionally been lacking since an Enforcement Directorate group was attacked by a mob throughout a raid on his home in reference to an alleged ration rip-off on January 5.
”Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar would name us to the occasion workplace even at evening on the pretext of holding a gathering,” one other girl alleged.
Requested if there have been allegations of sexual assault, the girl mentioned, ”They might torture us. They focused ladies by selecting up their husbands and beating them up with a stick within the occasion workplace. If we refused to go to the occasion workplace, they’d decide up the boys and thrash them so we might be compelled to go.”
Claims, Counterclaims
Earlier on Wednesday, West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar allegedly suffered accidents throughout a conflict with the police as he tried to go to Sandeshkhali regardless of police restrictions and prohibitory orders. He has been admitted to a hospital in Kolkata. Some have claimed Mr Majumdar’s accidents have been the results of him falling after climbing atop a police automobile to protest.
The BJP has alleged that ladies have been sexually harassed and raped in Sandeshkhali and wished to go to the world to talk to them.
Chief of Opposition within the West Bengal Legislative Meeting, Suvendu Adhikari. mentioned, ”What occurred with BJP state president is being condemned by the entire nation. As Chief of Opposition, I condemn the best way the state police handled him. We are going to protest towards this on Thursday. Motion needs to be taken towards the particular person whose orders are being adopted by the police.”
The Trinamool hit again on the BJP and mentioned the opposition occasion desires to create hassle as peace is returning to the world. West Bengal Minister Shashi Panja advised reporters, ”There’s a competitors between BJP leaders over who’s a much bigger chief and who can attain Sandeshkhali. Due to this competitors, they tried to achieve Sandeshkhali once more. They protested on Tuesday as nicely. Now they are saying he (Mr Majumdar) has fainted. He has been dropped at Kolkata for therapy.”
”We’re saying that the scenario is returning to regular and the Nationwide Girls’s Fee visited the world on Wednesday and they’re additionally saying no sexual harassment of ladies has taken place. What does Sukanta Majumdar wish to hear after this,” Mr Panja requested.
In a put up on X, the West Bengal Police has additionally denied any such allegations or complaints and warned towards ”wilful misinformation” by sections of the media.