NEW DELHI : Sandeshkhali, a village in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, saw fresh protests on Thursday as dozens of women took to the streets and set fire to a hut belonging to a local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, who is accused of land grabbing and sexual assault.
The protesters, armed with lathis and bamboo sticks, demanded the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan, a TMC Zilla Parishad member, and his aides, who have been on the run since January. They also alleged that Shahjahan and his brother Sirajuddin, another TMC leader, had molested them and usurped their land.
The agitation came a day after the state police chief Rajeev Kumar visited the area and assured the villagers that action would be taken against the culprits. Kumar also urged the people not to take law into their own hands and cooperate with the police.
Meanwhile, a team from the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) also reached Sandeshkhali on Thursday and recorded the complaints of the tribal residents, who claimed that they had been tortured and forced to give up their land. The NCST team, led by acting vice-chairperson Ananta Nayak, said that they would include the grievances in their report to the President.
The BJP, which has been supporting the protesters, also staged a demonstration outside the Sandeshkhali police station, demanding the arrest of Shahjahan. The BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar was forcibly removed by the police from the area.
Sandeshkhali has been witnessing unrest since early this month, after several women came forward with allegations of sexual abuse and land grabbing by TMC leaders. So far, 18 people, including some close associates of Shahjahan, have been arrested in connection with the case. The police have also added charges of gang rape and attempt to murder against some of the accused.