On Sunday (31st March), Haji Nurul Islam, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency arrived in Sandeshkhali and “vowed” to create a “new Sandeskhali”. It is worth noting that the Sandeshkhali village, which witnessed widespread protests against TMC leader and CM Mamata Banerjee’s close aide Shahjahan Sheikh and his goons over allegations of land grabbing and sexual assault, falls under the Bashirhat Constituency.
During a street-corner meeting, Haji Nurul Islam said, “Some BJP and CPM leaders deliberately tried to instigate you to spread violence. But we will build a new Sandeshkhali with a lot of developments here. We believe that all of you are always with us,” Islam said.
Even while vowing to create a “new Sandeshkhali”, the TMC candidate went on to dismiss the allegations of sexual assault on Sandeshkhali women by TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aide as “baseless”. He said that none of the women in Sandeshkhali were sexually assaulted.
“All the allegations against Trinamool are false and baseless. No woman in Sandeshkhali was sexually harassed or tortured. Some Trinamool leaders here were falsely implicated by BJP-sponsored central agencies. We, the Trinamool Congress soldiers, fight to protect the modesty of women across Bengal,” Haji Nurul Islam claimed.
Notably, the TMC candidate’s rally on Sunday began from the Abhijan Sangha ground in Sandeshkhali block-II and travelled through Trimohini Bazar, Jeliakhali, Bermajur, Kaharpara, and Patrapara, all of which had earlier witnessed large-scale protests and violence.
It is pertinent to mention that the BJP has fielded Rekha Patra from Basirhat, a Sandeshkhali resident. It was she who first raised the voice of the women of Sandeshkhali and all three accused expelled TMC MLA Sheikh Shahjahan, Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar are behind bars.
On the other hand, TMC has fielded Haji Nurul Islam who is a former MP who represented the Bashirhat constituency in West Bengal from 2009 to 2014 on a TMC ticket. One of the tallest minority community leaders in the party, Nurul Islam was the key conspirator behind the over three-day mayhem that erupted on September 6, 2010, in the Deganga district in West Bengal. He reportedly led a mob of 500 frenzied Islamists who destroyed properties belonging to Hindus; desecrated temples and also set vehicles and police jeeps on fire.
Deganga, a predominantly Hindu-dominated region, was gradually going through a major demographic shift even when the Left was at the helm in West Bengal. Things, however, became worse after the reigns of Deganga went into the hands of Haji Nurul Islam in 2009.
Back in 2010, a Muslim mob of around 500 people, led by Haji Nurul Islam, started a road blockade. On the evening of September 6, the mob marched to the police station where they created a ruckus. On the way and back, the frenzied Muslim mob destroyed hundreds of houses and shops belonging to Hindus. Besides, they also set fire to several vehicles and police jeeps and desecrated a Shiv temple. A detailed OpIndia report on Haji Nurul Islam’s role in the 2010 anti-Hindu Deganga riots can be read here.
