Days after several rape cases were reported from the State of West Bengal, a TMC leader was seen threatening the Opposition parties with physical harm for allegedly tarnishing the image of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The TMC leader has been identified as one Afroz Sarkar, who serves as the President of the Bhagwangola Block in the Lalbagh subdivision in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
In a video that has now gone viral on social media, the TMC functionary was heard as saying, “You cannot simply claim that your 50-year-old wife was raped. By doing all this, you cannot dislodge Mamata Banerjee from the position of West Bengal Chief Minister. The people of the State and her party leaders are with Mamata Banerjee.”
“Tell us if you have been raped. We will notify the Officer-in-Charge, Superintendent of Police and demand the arrest of the perpetrator. Show proof that you have been raped. Instead, they (Opposition parties, particularly the CPIM) are now conducting rallies based on false allegations,” he continued.
Afroz Shah then went on to issue threats of physical harm. “Besi jodi bada badi kore, kintu thanda kore dibo…Thanda korte gela kintu dandar dorkar aache (If you cross limits, then we will beat the sh*t out of you. To get people back to their senses, we need to use the stick),” he threatened.
The TMC leader further warned, “Vesi jodi Mamata Banerjee er bepare ulto palto kotha jodi beshi bole…Tahole kintu amra rastai nambo…Ek dom danda diya thanda kore debo (If they talk ill of Mamata Banerjee, then, we will hit the streets. We will get them back to their senses by thrashing them with sticks).
Afroz informed that he has been working under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee since 1998 and had held several key positions within the TMC. He vowed to forego his position of power for the sake of Mamata Banerjee.
He warned the Opposition, claiming that he revered the TMC supremo as his ‘mother.’ “Emon thanda korbo, je badi thake berhota parbe an (We will bring you back to senses such that you will not dare to step out of your house),” Afroz Sarkar was heard as saying.
His comments came at the backdrop of a protest rally conducted by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) rally over rising cases of crime against women in the State.
The surge in rape cases in TMC-ruled West Bengal
Earlier on April 4 this year, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed in the Shyamnagar locality in Hanskhali Block Number- I in Nadia district of West Bengal. The accused was named as one Brajgopal, the son of Trinamool Congress (TMC) Gajna Gram Panchayat member Samar Gowla.
Reportedly, the accused had invited the victim to his house under the pretext of birthday celebrations. The girl became unwell, following which she was rushed to a local doctor. She passed away the following day.
According to the family members of the victim, the girl died due to excessive bleeding. They alleged that she was raped by the son of the TMC leader. The family members also claimed that the TMC leader Samar Gowla and other party workers forcibly cremated the girl’s body at a local crematorium.
The incident had created political upheaval in the State, with the TMC supremo and incumbent CM Mamata Banerjee trying to trivialise allegations of rape and murder made by the victim’s family.
On April 13, Trinamool Congress Panchayat member Avijit Mondal was arrested for molesting, torturing and attempting to rape a differently-abled woman. The incident took place at Kalukhanra village in West Midnapore. The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Pingla police station.
The differently-abled woman had gone to her elder sister’s house in Kalukhara village. The girl was abducted and sexually abused by Mondal when she had gone to the pond to wash the dishes. On the following day, the victim was examined at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital.
