New Delhi: A workforce of BJP MPs, together with two union ministers, was prevented by the police from visiting Sandeshkhali in West Bengal on Friday, the place villagers have been protesting towards alleged atrocities by native TMC leaders. The six-member delegation, led by BJP president J P Nadda, was stopped at Rampur village on the best way to Sandeshkhali block in North 24 Parganas district, citing prohibitory orders below Section 144 of CrPC. The BJP leaders staged a sit-in and accused the Mamata Banerjee authorities of protecting the culprits and suppressing the voice of the victims.
“We are here to meet the affected people and give them justice. The police are very quick to stop us, but they have failed to arrest Shajahan Sheikh and his goons, who are responsible for the violence,” stated Annapurna Devi, the union minister of state for schooling and the convenor of the workforce.
Yesterday, Mamata Banerjee took to the ground of Assembly and defended Shahjahan Sheikh, maligned the ladies, who’ve been raped… She was remorseless. This type of depravity is the loss of life knell for democracy in West Bengal.
The CM, by her intervention, has prejudiced the police.… pic.twitter.com/1MgCGWczqL
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) February 16, 2024
Shajahan Sheikh, a TMC strongman, has been on the run since January 5, when a mob, allegedly linked to him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officers who had gone to raid his premises in reference to a ration rip-off.
Several girls in Sandeshkhali have accused Shajahan and his supporters of grabbing their land and sexually assaulting them below duress. Pratima Bhoumik, the union minister of state for social justice and empowerment, stated that the police have been “trying to protect the criminals and goons” and that the legislation and order state of affairs in Sandeshkhali was “non-existent”.
“We are union ministers and MPs, and there are certain protocols. The state police and the administration are not respecting those protocols. They are acting on the orders of the chief minister, who wants to hide the truth from the public,” she stated.
The different members of the BJP workforce have been Sunita Duggal, Kavita Patidar, Sangeeta Yadav, Brij Lal, a former Uttar Pradesh DGP, and Khagen Murmu.
The delegation was fashioned by Nadda after he visited the state earlier this week and met the households of BJP employees who have been allegedly killed or injured within the post-poll violence. The BJP has claimed that the TMC has unleashed a reign of terror on its supporters and employees after profitable the meeting elections in May.
The TMC, nevertheless, has dismissed the BJP’s allegations as baseless and politically motivated. It has additionally questioned the necessity for the BJP workforce to go to Sandeshkhali, saying that the state of affairs was below management and the police have been taking motion towards the perpetrators of any violence.
“The police did the right thing by stopping the BJP delegation. It is trying to vitiate the atmosphere of the state. When the administration is doing everything to restore peace, the BJP is trying to disturb that for political gains,” stated TMC chief Santanu Sen.
The BJP workforce, later within the day, will meet Governor C V Ananda Bose in Kolkata. Sandeshkhali has been witnessing protests for the seventh consecutive day on Thursday, with numerous girls demonstrators demanding the arrest of Shajahan Sheikh and his associates.
