KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee’s government received twin blow on Monday on the issue of Sandeshkhali stir after chairperson of National Commission for Women (NCW) Rekha Sharma demanded imposition of President’s rule in West Bengal. She accused the state administration of suppressing the voice of women in the turf of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Calcutta High Court allowed Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari to visit the strife-hit area.
Adhikari was intercepted twice by police on his way to Sandeshkhali since the stir, led by women of the area, broke out first week of this month.
“After speaking to the women in the area, I found Sandeshkhali’s situation horrible. Several women narrated their plights. One of them alleged that she was raped inside the TMC’s party office in the area. We demand President’s Rule be imposed in the state. We will mention in our report to the President,” said Rekha, who led a delegation of the commission to the restive area.
Referring to TMC’s allegation that the commission is working under the influence of the BJP, she said, “I don’t want to comment on it. Let them say whatever they want to.”
Allowing Adhikari to visit Sandeshkhali, the high court ordered the BJP leader not to make any “provocative speeches” during his visit and indulge in any unlawful activities.
In his first attempt, Adhikari was intercepted by police near Science City In Kolkata, around 50 km from Sandeshkhali and two days later, he was again stopped at Rampur, five km from the trouble-hit area, when he was heading towards the island with four other MLAs, complying the prohibitory order clamped under Section 144 of CrPC.
Adhikari had approached the Calcutta High Court after he was prevented by the police. The court had also set aside the administration’s earlier decision to impose the prohibitory order in entire Sandeshkhali mentioning the way it was clamped was not right. Next day, the district administration imposed restrictions in 19 pockets of the trouble-hit area.
Following the court’s order, Adhikari said he would go to Sandeshkhali on Tuesday. “I was given permission to visit the area on February 12 but the state government imposed Section 144 in the area. But this time will go there and interact with the women residents of the island,” he added.
Sandeshkhali has been on the boil since three officers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) were bashed up and left bleeding when they went to search the house of local TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh in a foodgrain scam case on January 5. On seeing the TMC leader and his men are at large since the attack on the federal agency, women of the area mustered up their courage to protest against the alleged sexual abuse on them allegedly by the ruling party's satraps.
