KOLKATA: Adding more embarrassment to West Bengal’s ruling party, the Sandeshkhali stir took a serious turn on Saturday after police added gangrape and attempt to murder charges to a case against two Trinamool Congress satraps who are known to be aides of TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh in the party’s North 24 Parganas turf.
The police’s action, corroborating the allegations laid down by women in Sandeshkhali, came after a woman, who already lodged a complaint with the law-keepers, gave a statement before the magistrate of a court in Basirhat two days ago. The police petitioned before the court seeking permission for adding two stringent IPC sections, 376D (gangrape) and 307 (attempt to murder) which was granted.
Police, however, said the woman did not mention about sexual assault on her in her complaint.
“There was no complaint lodged with the police before February 6. While lodging complaint, the woman did not give any statement to the police corroborating her statement before the magistrate. We added the IPC sections that deal with gangrape and attempt to murder charges after she gave a statement before the magistrate. We will investigate her statement and take lawful action against the culprit whosoever he is,” said Director General of Police, Rajeev Kumar.
The two stringent provisions of the IPC was slapped against Shahjahan’s two associates, Uttam Sardar, the local panchayat Pradhan, and TMC’s block president Shibaprasad Hazra.
In a dramatic move by the police, Hazra, who has been absconding, was arrested from adjoining Nazat in Basirhat hours after news of inclusion of two grave IPC sections came to light. Sardar was arrested earlier, shortly after he was suspended for six years from the party, and remanded to police custody for eight days.
Asked about the allegation of women in Sandeshkhali, accusing the local police of turning blind whenever they went to lodge a complaint against Sardar and Hazra, Kumar said, “If a law-keeper is found guilty, action will be taken against him or her.”
For the first time since the change of guard in the state in 2011, the ruling TMC is facing massive protests by the locals against its own local leadership which is said to be a wake-up call for the ruling party. Hundreds of women, armed with sticks and brooms, took to the streets accusing Shahjahan’s men of sexual abuse.
“There is something wrong in Sandeshkhali which will be addressed by the police. It will be wrong if we keep the complaints under the wrap. Let us all face the truth. We urge the women in Sandeshkhali to come forward and lodge complaint with the police. We are committed to bring justice for the complainants,” said Kumar.
The TMC, however, said the police should investigate whether the complaints are genuine by nature. “Many outsiders entered the area and complainants are seen with them. The BJP is instigating the women of the area to lodge false complaints,” said a TMC leader.
Initiating a facelift move in the backdrop of the unrest in Sandeshkhali, a delegation of the TMC visited the strife-hit area to take stock of the situation on Saturday. TMC’s MLA from Sandeshkhali Sukumar Mahato said complaints of atrocities by some party satraps were received which would be forwarded to the higher authorities for taking action. Mahato’s statement appeared to be an admission of the allegations accusing the highhandedness of party’s local leaders.
The TMC delegation visited door-to-door and interacted with villagers. They assured that the issue of forcible grabbing of land and not paying lease amount to the owners of lands would be presented before the party’s top leadership.
