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Sandeshkhali:
Amid a political firestorm between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP over claims of sexual assault by aides of a strongman from the ruling social gathering in Sandeshkhali, NDTV spoke to among the ladies, who stated they’re “dwelling in concern”. Conversations with the ladies revealed that whereas the allegations of rape will not be true, many have been known as to the social gathering workplace at odd hours and have been threatened in the event that they refused. Some ladies additionally spoke of their husbands being tortured.
NDTV visited Sandeshkhali, an island near the Indo-Bangladesh border the place prohibitory orders have been imposed on all entry factors, on Wednesday. Whereas some ladies who’ve been protesting towards Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjahan’s aides agreed to talk, none of them wished to disclose their identification in entrance of tv cameras, fearing reprisal and persecution.
One girl, who participated within the protests earlier, informed NDTV, “These incidents will need to have taken place, in any other case why will the ladies say these items? You need to enquire for your self. Why else will ladies come out on the streets and communicate out? Are they mendacity? There have to be fact in these statements.”
“We live in concern. We do not come out of our properties due to concern,” she added.
One other girl stated, “They (Shahjahan’s aides) would name ladies for conferences or rallies however there was no mounted time. It might be day or evening. We must go every time they known as and if we did not, they’d threaten us.”
“Even when we didn’t need to go, they’d drive us. They gave us examples of the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme and the free rice scheme. They stated Didi (West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee) is feeding you however you continue to will not go to conferences? Even whether it is at evening, it’s a must to go or we are going to kidnap you, they’d say,” one other girl claimed.
The ladies named Sheikh Shahjahan’s aides, Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar. Whereas Sardar has been arrested, Hazra is on the run. Shahjahan has additionally been lacking since an Enforcement Directorate workforce was attacked by a mob throughout a raid on his home in reference to an alleged ration rip-off on January 5.
“Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar would name us to the social gathering workplace even at evening on the pretext of holding a gathering,” one other girl alleged.
Requested if there have been allegations of sexual assault, the girl stated, “They’d torture us. They focused ladies by choosing up their husbands and beating them up with a stick within the social gathering workplace. If we refused to go to the social gathering workplace, they’d decide up the lads and thrash them so we might be pressured to go.”
Claims, Counterclaims
Earlier on Wednesday, West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar allegedly suffered accidents throughout a conflict with the police as he tried to go to Sandeshkhali regardless of police restrictions and prohibitory orders. He has been admitted to a hospital in Kolkata. Some have claimed Mr Majumdar’s accidents have been the results of him falling after climbing atop a police automotive to protest.
The BJP has alleged that ladies have been sexually harassed and raped in Sandeshkhali and wished to go to the world to talk to them.
Chief of Opposition within the West Bengal Legislative Meeting, Suvendu Adhikari. stated, “What occurred with BJP state president is being condemned by the entire nation. As Chief of Opposition, I condemn the best way the state police handled him. We’ll protest towards this on Thursday. Motion must be taken towards the particular person whose orders are being adopted by the police.”
The Trinamool hit again on the BJP and stated the opposition social gathering desires to create bother as peace is returning to the world. West Bengal Minister Shashi Panja informed reporters, “There’s a competitors between BJP leaders over who’s a much bigger chief and who can attain Sandeshkhali. Due to this competitors, they tried to succeed in Sandeshkhali once more. They protested on Tuesday as nicely. Now they are saying he (Mr Majumdar) has fainted. He has been dropped at Kolkata for therapy.”
“We’re saying that the state of affairs is returning to regular and the Nationwide Ladies’s Fee visited the world on Wednesday and they’re additionally saying no sexual harassment of ladies has taken place. What does Sukanta Majumdar need to hear after this,” Mr Panja requested.
In a put up on X, the West Bengal Police has additionally denied any such allegations or complaints and warned towards “wilful misinformation” by sections of the media.
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