For the third day running, the West Bengal police continued to block political leaders from reaching Sandeshkhali which has seen a mass uprising by women protesting against the harassment and atrocities by Trinamool Congress leaders. Today, leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress’ own I.N.D.I.A. ally, the Congress, were prevented from reaching Sandeshkhali by a massive police force.
A team of BJP MPs, sent by the party president J.P. Nadda from New Delhi, including two Union Ministers, was stopped at Rampur, about four kilometres before Dhamakhali, which connects the mainland to the Sandeshkhali island through ferry services.
Soon afterwards, a team of Congressmen, led by Pradesh Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, was also stopped at Rampur, where the police had erected massive barricades made of bamboo to thwart attempts to reach Sandeshkhali.
When the police stopped them, citing prohibitory orders in the village, Chowdhury said: “The Chief Minister is Bengal’s queen of cruelty. The people of Bengal and all of India have seen you for who you are. From the panchayat to the State Government to MPs, all are yours. Did you not know something of this kind was happening in Sandeshkhali? You have spoken out in favour of Shahjahan earlier.”
A large number of women in Sandeshkhali have accused Trinamool Congress strongman Shahjahan Sheikh and his supporters of land-grab and sexual assault. Shahjahan has been absconding after a mob, owing allegiance to him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his premises in connection with a ration scam on January 5.
Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik said that the police did not allow the BJP team to go to the unrest-hit Sandeshkhali, citing prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC. After being stopped at Rampur village on the way to Sandeshkhali block, the six-member delegation of the saffron party began a sit-in.
“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, told reporters.
Bhoumik, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, alleged that the 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.
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 had constituted the six-member committee of the party MPs to visit Sandeshkhali. It comprised Pratima Bhoumik, Annapurna Devi, Sunita Duggal, Kavita Patidar, Sangeeta Yadav and Brij Lal, a former Uttar Pradesh DGP, as members of the panel.
The ruling Trinamool Congress accused the saffron party of trying to “vitiate the atmosphere of the State”. “The police did the right thing by stopping the BJP delegation. It wanted to vitiate the atmosphere of the State. When the administration is doing everything to restore peace, the BJP is trying to disturb that for political gains,” Trinamool Congress leader and spokesperson Santanu Sen said.
The BJP team met Governor C.V. Ananda Bose in Kolkata later in the day.
West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was also stopped by the police while trying to reach Sandeshkhali citing prohibitory orders.
The Congress delegation spearheaded by Chowdhury encountered initial hindrance from police officials at Sarberia and subsequently at Rampur.
Authorities cited prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) as the reason for stopping the Congress team’s entry into Sandeshkhali.
Chowdhury condemned the Mamata Banerjee-led Government, asserting that it was attempting to politicise the situation.
He questioned the State Government’s rationale behind denying access to Opposition parties. “Why are the Opposition parties being prevented from entering Sandeshkhali? What is the State Government trying to hide? Why are they trying to politicise it?” he asked. Following the interruption at Rampur village, Chowdhury and Congress workers staged a sit-in, leading to a minor altercation with police.
Addressing reporters, Chowdhury criticised Banerjee for purportedly “communalising the issue.” “The Chief Minister, instead of acknowledging that the incidents in Sandeshkhali are a matter of shame, is attempting to imbue them with a communal narrative by introducing the aspects of Hindus and Muslims. We condemn such communal politics,” he asserted.
Chowdhury’s remarks came in response to Banerjee’s allegations blaming the saffron camp of instigating unrest in the area.
Meanwhile, the BJP and the National Commission for Women accused the Trinamool Congress and the State Government of being complicit in crimes against women in Sandeshkhali.
Responding to Banerjee’s assertion that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has a presence in Sandeshkhali and has been a focal point of communal clashes, Chowdhury, a longstanding critic of the Chief Minister, questioned the relevance of the RSS in the violence.
“What connection does the RSS have with the disturbances in Sandeshkhali? Are Uttam Sardar or Shibu Hazra, Hindus or Muslims?” he queried.
“It is during the TMC’s 13-year tenure that the RSS has expanded its influence across the state. Who bears responsibility for this? The TMC cannot shirk their accountability,” he emphasised.
