Ahead of Phase 5, Sandeshkhali Keeps WB Poll Pot Boiling; Sukanta Says 'Brutality' Still Persists

Speaking on the ordeal of a woman, who lodged a fresh complaint with police in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said she was abducted and her mouth was covered. According to him, had she and her daughter not made noise, she too would have been raped. He criticised state police for their alleged inaction and called for increased vigil from the CBI.

Kolkata:Sandeshkhali keeps the poll pot boiling in West Bengal ahead of the fifth phase of the high-voltage Lok Sabha election which begins on Monday, May 20. Soon after a woman lodged a police complaint, alleging that she was abducted by three persons from outside her residence in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali in a fresh twist to the ongoing allegations of sexual abuse against TMC leaders, state BJP chief and Lok Sabha candidate from Balurghat, Sukanta Majumdar said that the state government turned a blind eye to the situation, which remains tense and dire.

He slammed the state police for their inaction and called for increased activity from the CBI, noting that brutality against women persists in Sandeshkhali. “The woman was abducted and her mouth was covered. Had she and her daughter not made noise, she too would have been raped... The situation is still very bad. The police are not doing anything and the CBI should become more active. Brutality against women still exists in Sandeshkhali”, said Sukanta Majumdar.

On Thursday, in her complaint with the Sandeshkhali Police Station, the woman claimed that she was pressured to tell courts that alleged atrocities on women in the area were 'false.' A complaint was lodged at 2.30 am on Thursday, and a case was filed. The investigation is underway.

She named three persons in the complaint. No arrests have been made so far, a senior police officer said.

In a purported video shared by BJP leader and lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal on social media, the woman was heard saying that she was gagged and dragged out of her house when she went outside after hearing the barking of dogs.

The woman also claimed that she was asked to tell the courts that the alleged incidents of atrocities on women in Sandeshkhali by local TMC leaders were "false". The authenticity of the video could not be verified by news agency PTI, which broke the story.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Tibrewal stated, "Today I visited Sandeshkhali, where TMC goons are threatening the people to prove Sheikh Shahjahan is innocent. One woman named Anwesha Mondal told me about the atrocities of Dilip Mallick who few days ago abducted a woman. Following this complaint, today evening, TMC goons abducted her, tied her up, and left her beside a pond to die. We took her to the Police Station.

A series of purported videos surfaced recently from North 24 Parganas district's Sandeshkhali where TMC leaders were accused of sexual assault and land grab. In the first such clip, a BJP leader of Sandeshkhali was heard saying that the protests by women were "staged" at the behest of Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, who was behind the "whole conspiracy".

In another video, a section of the women, who had earlier filed rape complaints, claimed that they were made to sign a blank paper by the BJP leaders and coerced to go to the police station. The BJP leader, who was seen in the first video, was also heard saying in a third clip, that over 70 women had received Rs 2,000 each for taking part in protests against local TMC leaders.

On May 12, BJP workers demonstrated against the circulation of purported videos "to malign the image" of saffron party leaders in Sandeshkhali, and allegedly heckled local TMC legislator Sukumar Mahata for spreading "misinformation" over complaints of sexual abuse, lodged by women in the area. They also beat up a local TMC activist in Sandeshkhali for allegedly being involved in "disseminating false information about atrocities on women" in the area. (With agency inputs)

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