Kolkata: Ongoing unrest persists in West Bengal‘s Sandeshkhali region, with protestors, notably including women, persistently calling for the apprehension of Trinamool leader Shajahan Sheikh and his associates. Accusations against Sheikh and his allies encompass charges of land grabbing and sexual harassment.
In the midst of the turmoil, a team assembled by BJP chief JP Nadda for fact-finding is scheduled to visit the area today. Simultaneously, the Supreme Court has received a petition urging a specialized investigation into the incidents of violence in Sandeshkhali, proposing either the deployment of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or involving the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Latest Developments in Sandeshkhali Unrest: BJP Fact-Finding Team, Legal Actions, and Accusations
A six-member fact-finding team, assembled by BJP chief JP Nadda, is scheduled to visit Sandeshkhali today, having arrived in Kolkata on Thursday night. Nadda directed the team to meet with women who have accused a Trinamool leader of sexual assault and submit a comprehensive report.
In response to the unrest, a petition has reached the Supreme Court, advocating for a specialized investigation by either a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Filed by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, the petition calls for a fair and impartial examination of the case.
Addressing the Sandeshkhali case, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday, accused the saffron camp of instigating trouble in the area. Conversely, the BJP and the National Commission for Women (NCW) accused her party and the state government of complicity in crimes against women in the region. Banerjee claimed that 17 individuals had been arrested in connection with the case, asserting that her administration had taken all necessary measures to restore peace. She labeled Sandeshkhali as a “hotbed of communal riots” with a significant RSS presence.
During an assembly session, Banerjee criticized the saffron camp, alleging a “sinister design” to disturb the area. West Bengal Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari expressed his mission to visit Sandeshkhali and meet the families of those arrested, but his attempt was thwarted as police stopped his vehicle en route to the region.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) reported a “distressing pattern of negligence and complicity” by the West Bengal government and law enforcement officials in the Sandeshkhali incident. The NCW team, investigating reports of sexual exploitation of women, released their findings on February 12.