KOLKATA: The TMC's move to repair the political damage and eradicate people’s ire in Sandeshkhali received a jolt as fresh incidents of violent protests erupted in the North 24 Parganas island on Friday when four representatives of the National Commission for Women visited the area.
A makeshift surveillance structure of a fishery was set ablaze and the house of a ruling Trinamool Congress satrap was vandalised before he was manhandled amid the strong presence of law-keepers.
When director general of police Rajeev Kumar visited the strife-hit area for the second time on Friday, aggrieved people demonstrated in front of him accusing the fugitive TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides, Shibaprasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar, of abusing women sexually and grabbing lands forcibly.
Though the district administration has set up eight camps in the area to receive complaints against the ruling party’s local leaders, it did not prove enough to quell the locals’ resentment.
Violence broke out shortly after the DGP entered the trouble-hit area. Hundreds of women hit the streets and the makeshift structure went up in flames beside the fishery at Bemjur village, owned by Shahjahan’s brother Sheikh Sirajuddin which was allegedly set up grabbing agricultural land.
Kumar described the incident of setting the structure ablaze as an artificial act carried out with an intention to create unrest in the area. “A section of people committed the act to instigate the villagers. The locals were told that violent protests would help them to get their problems addressed faster. But we can differentiate between what is a genuine outburst of people’s anger and what is not. Action will be taken against all law breakers,” he warned.
A group of locals assembled in front of the house of Kanai Patra, a local leader of the TMC, and started vandalising his asbestos-shed house alleging that he was one of those who helped Shahjjahan’s men to grab lands forcibly by flexing muscles. His motorcycle was also damaged. As Patra came out to protest, he was manhandled.
The director general of police (south Bengal) rushed to the spot and asked the police to take down Patra’s statement. He also asked those who complained against the TMC leader to lodge formal complaints.
As the locals went to Sandeshkhali police station to lodge complaints against Patra, the police detained some of those whose names were mentioned by the TMC leaders as attackers. The police action was seen after Kumar warned that if someone turns violent to rake revenge over previous crimes against him, he will not be spared.
As the news of the detention spread, women put up roadblocks at Kathpol village by burning wood logs in the thoroughfares. They also alleged that one of the women was injured when a police vehicle, which was entering the area, hit her.
