KOLKATA: Regardless of the Bengal government setting up a mini secretariat at the strife-hit Sandeshkhali to contain people’s anger that led to a large-scale stir against the TMC satraps, the North 24 Parganas island continued to be on the boil on Saturday.
Venting out their anger, locals in Halderpara area of Sandeshkhali chased away the family of a TMC leader in presence of policemen and women. The leader is at the forefront of the stir against the TMC’s local strongman Shahjahan Sheikh and other satraps, staged demonstrations and took out protest marches wielding brooms.
An Indian Express report stated that last week, irate villagers had set fire to the guard room of a fishery in Jhupkhali which they alleged was established by local TMC leaders on encroached land. They also reportedly beat up local TMC leader Ajit Maity in Bermojur.
Meanwhile, as many as 18 camps have been set up by the police in Sandeshkhali for the lodging of complaints. In the past four days, 817 complaints were lodged, 90 per cent of which was about converting agriculture land into fisheries by grabbing common people’s properties forcibly.
Police, too, set up makeshift centres for receiving complaints in the area in which the name of Shahjahan’s brother Sheikh Sirajuddin came up. “Of 66 complaints, 55 are against Sirajuddin who allegedly constructed a market complex under the banner of his name by grabbing lands forcibly,” said a police officer.
As part of a damage control move, two TMC ministers Partha Bhowmik and Sujit Basi visited the trouble-hit island on Saturday and faced the locals’ ire in their stronghold. More than two hundred women surrounded Basu and Bhowmik to narrate their plight.
Both the ministers gave a patient hearing to the aggrieved villagers who complained about forcible land grabbing and demanded immediate arrest of TMC strongman Shahjahan and the state government’s intervention.
The villagers, mainly women, protested when Bhowmik made a remark that they were taught to demand Shahjahan’s arrest by “someone”.
“We have heard the villagers’ complaint and will inform Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee,” said Basu.
Background
Sandeshkhali, situated on the borders of the Sunderbans, about 100 kilometres from Kolkata -- has been on the boil for more than a month following protests over alleged land-grabbing and sexual harassment of women by local TMC leaders, including Shajahan and Sirajuddin. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC are still in force in certain parts of Sandeshkhali.
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. After the TMC leader and his two henchmen went underground, the women mustered up their courage to protests against the sexual abuse on them by the party’s satraps.
Shahjahan Sheikh is absconding. Shiba Prasad Hajra and Uttam Sardar, considered close associates of Sheikh, were, however, arrested.
Some villagers, a CPI(M) leader and a BJP activist were also arrested by the police over violent protests in the area.
The area also saw visits by members of the National Human Rights Commission, national ST and SC commissions and the National Commission for Women (NCW) who had advocated imposition of the president's rule in the state. The Director General of Police also visited the area twice in an effort to instill confidence among the villagers.
Ananta Nayak, Vice-Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, who recently visited the area stated that the panel learnt from the people that Shahjahan and his followers had forcibly withheld MNREGA wages from poor tribal families and subjected them to torture for voting against the TMC.
(With PTI inputs)
