A fact-finding team, composed of former judges, bureaucrats, and members of civil society, was stopped on Sunday by the West Bengal police from going to Sandeshkhali, where a massive protest against "sexual abuse and land grab" by a Trinamool Congress strongman is underway.
The team comprises former Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, Justice L Narasimha Reddy, former IPS officer Raj Pal Singh, former National Commission for Women member Charu Wali Khanna, advocates OP Vyas and Bhavna Bajaj, and senior journalist Sanjeev Nayak.
The fact-finding team alleges that they were being stopped to “hide the truth of Sandeshkhali”.
“We were visiting Sandeshkhali, but they stopped us...Police have purposely stopped us and are creating problems for the common people. Police are not letting us meet the victims of Sandeshkhali,” Charu Wali Khanna said.
After being stopped by the police, the members staged a sit-in protest.
They also alleged that the police were unwilling to allow them to proceed despite their readiness to abide by the Section 144 notice and travel in groups of two or three.
The unrest in Sandeshkhali followed after several women accused Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of sexual assault and land grab earlier this month. Shahjahan has remained elusive since a mob attack on Enforcement Directorate officials on January 5.
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes said that it has received 50 complaints of “sexual abuse and land grab” from tribal families against the TMC leader and his associates. The state government officials stated that they have received almost 1,250 complaints, including 400 related to land issues, from the restive area.
Published On:
Feb 25, 2024
English (US) ·