The Sandeshkhali protests in West Bengal turned violent on Friday (23rd February) as angry people torched the properties of Sirajuddin Sheikh – the brother of accused TMC leader Sheikh Shahajahan. The property belonging to Shahjahan Sheikh’s brother in the Kachari area of Bermazdoor, Sandeshkhali was set on fire.
The villagers alleged that Sirajuddin Sheikh and his men had grabbed the land of the villagers, and that is why they started protesting. A large number of policemen also reached the spot.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were stopped from going to Sandeshkhali. BJP MP Locket Chatterjee was detained by a police team in Bhojerhat.
Armed with sticks, the protesters set ablaze thatched structures near a fishing yard in Sandeshkhali’s Belmajur area and vented their anger against TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his brother Siraj. A person among the protestors said, “The police have done nothing for years. This is why we are doing everything to get our land and honour back.”
The angry mob also chased Sirajuddin Sheikh, who had to run for his life. As some people chassed him with sticks in hand, Sheikh fled from the spot on a motorcycle.
Later, police entered the area and tried to pacify the protesters. Violence also erupted in the Sandeshkhali protests on Thursday (2nd February) fueled by allegations against local TMC leaders for sexual abuse and forcible land grabbing. Besides, people took to the streets against TMC leaders in many other areas. These demonstrations followed DGP Rajeev Kumar’s assurance that the guilty would not be spared.
According to news agency ANI, the Kolkata Police on Friday stopped and detained Bharatiya Janata Party MP Locket Chatterjee when she, along with other party leaders, were on their way to trouble-torn Sandeshkhali. Amid the prevailing tensions in Sandeshkhali, a team of women Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders was supposed to depart for Sandeshkali on Friday. The team consists of senior BJP leaders, including Locket Chatterjee, MLA Agnimitra Paul, General Secretary & MLA, Madhuchandra Kar, Vice-President, Adv. Priyanka Tibrewal, State Secretary, Sonali Murmu, State Secretary, Falguni Patra, President, Mahila Morcha, and Paromita Dutta, Incharge, Mahila Morcha, were going to visit Sandeshkhali today.
The background of the controversy
On 8th February this year, hundreds of women in Sandeshkhali took to the streets to protest against land grabbing, non-payment of wages and sexual violence committed by Trinamool Congress goon Sheikh Shahjahan and his two aides Shiba Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar.
The women attacked Shahjahan’s illicitly obtained properties and set fire to a poultry farm owned by Shiba Prasad Hazra. They also surrounded the Sandeshkali police station and demanded the immediate arrest of the trio. The agitation in the village lasted for 3 days.
On Friday (17th February), the police arrested TMC leader Shibu Prasad Hazra over land grabbing and sexual exploitation of women in Sandeshkhali. The primary accused Sheikh Shahjahan, is still on the run from the law enforcement authorities.
