West Bengal BJP worker Gangadhar Koyal has moved the Calcutta High Court over the sting videos used by TMC to claim that Sandeshkhali rape allegations are fake, saying that the videos are fake and his visuals and audio were edited to make the video. He also sought security saying that he is facing threats to his life.
In the sting video that went viral in the state last week, Gangadhar Koyal claimed that that the rape allegations made by women of Sandeshkhali against TMC leaders are fake and that Suvendu Adhikari was the mastermind of the plot. In the video, he could be heard saying that Adhikari had instructed him and other local BJP leaders to “instigate three-four local women to level allegations of rape against three TMC leaders, including Sheikh Shahjahan.”
However, immediately after the video came out, Gangadhar Koyal, BJP mandal president of block number 2 of Sandeshkhali, said that the video is fake, and High-tech method were used to tamper his voice to create the sting video. He alleged that this has been done to tarnish the image of Sandeshkhali woman and Suvendu Adhikari. He had demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
Now Koyal has approached the High Court with the demands. Gangadhar Koyal said in the complaint that several fake videos featuring different persons have been released to prove the allegations against TMC leaders false. He sought the directions for a CBI probe into the sting videos.
He said that because of the fake videos, tensions have increased in the area, and there is a threat to his life. He further sought the security of central forces.
He sought a permission to file a case in the court, which was granted by Justice Joy Sengupta. However, the court said that a case can’t be directly handed over to CBI like this. Moreover, all the cases of Sandeshkhali are now in the Division Bench of the Chief Justice, the court added. The matter is expected to be heard by the court on Monday.
It is notable that Jaba Rani Singha, a local woman featured in the sting video, where she appeared to be saying that the rape charges against TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan are fake, has also asserted that the video is doctored. She alleged that her responses to different questions were edited to create the video.
She also alleged that the persons who had met her had later said that they were sent TMC’s TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee sent them. They allegedly asked her to quote a price for saying that the Sandeshkhali rape charges are fake, and when she refused, they doctored the video to make appear her saying that the charges are fake.
Notably, in the video, the audio and video of Jaba Rani Singha are not synched, they don’t match. Her voice can be heard when she is saying nothing on video, which gives credence to her allegation that the video is doctored. Jaba Rani Singha asserted that she is committed to the movement by the Sandeshkhali woman against the TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides.
