West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali has been on the boil with massive unrest for over 10 days as women protestors are seeking justice against alleged sexual assault committed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his supporters.
Read here: BJP denies association with man held for running sex racket in Bengal
As the protest continued on Friday, the protesters broke through fences and manhandled TMC leader Ajit Maity. As per the visuals shared by the news agency ANI, the villagers can be seen ransacking Maity’s house and beating him with slippers as protests continued in the Bermajur area of Sandeshkhali.
Maity, who is an MLA from Paschim Medinipur’s Pingla assembly constituency, claimed that the protesters were making false allegations about him. While reacting to his physical assault, he said that he was attacked because he belonged to the TMC. He further said that his daughter has exams but is now scared that they will be attacked again.
“I was attacked because I am TMC leader. My bike was vandalised and they also attacked my wife. My daughter has exams but she is scared now that we will get attacked again. They also set fire to one of my storage rooms(Aara Ghar). They were making false allegations about me. Let there be a probe and if I am guilty, Police can arrest me,” Maity told the news agency.
Meanwhile, the villagers also clashed with the police and tried to prevent their vehicles from passing through the area.
“We did not stop them initially. We just wanted to talk to them about why they were detaining our boys without any charge. They did not listen. The police vehicle ran over a woman’s feet. We want to talk to them,” a woman protester told ANI.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been demanding president’s rule in the state over the disruptive law and order situation and slammed the state chief minister Mamata Banerjee over her silence on the Sandeshkhali violence. The saffron party alleged that women in Bengal are unsafe and accused the police of looting the houses of women who are giving news interviews about their ordeal.
Earlier today, BJP MP Locket Chatterjee was detained by the police on her way to Sandeshkhali.
Read here: ‘Mamata did not meet us’: Sandeshkhali women say ‘risky to live’ in village
“I was detained by police without any information. I will go to Sandeshkhali. Why has Mamata Banerjee not spoken in support of the women in Sandeshkhali? If Mamata Banerjee being a woman CM has not gone there, then we have to go there being a public servant,” Chatterjee said.
Meanwhile, the police so far have arrested 18 people for their alleged involvement in violent protests. The ED on Friday filed a fresh case against Shahjahan Sheikh and conducted searches at several locations in the state.
Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly affiliated with him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his premises in connection with a ration scam in January this year.
(With inputs from ANI)
Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
