After being criticised for acting as a mute spectator to sexual violence against Hindu women in Sandeshkhali by her party leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides, Mamata Banerjee has broken her silence over the issue. Speaking at the State Assembly on Thursday, February 15, the TMC supremo gave a clean chit to her aide Shahjahan Sheikh and instead pinned the blame on the BJP and the RSS.
The chief minister targeted the BJP saying Sandeshkhali has become a bunker of (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) RSS.
Further displaying complete apathy towards the women victims who have come on camera and spoken about the atrocities meted out to them by the TMC goons, Mamata Banerjee claimed that those who are covering their faces and are speaking to the media are BJP workers and she would get them arrested.
संदेशखाली पर ममता बनर्जी का बयान, बोलीं- "संदेशखाली पर बीजेपी झूठ फैला रही है, झूठ फैलाने वाले लोगों को पकड़ा जा रहा है.."#WestBengal #SandeshkhaliViolence #MamataBanerjee #BJP pic.twitter.com/oZ3kffvofB
— India TV (@indiatvnews) February 15, 2024
Giving a clean chit to her aide Shahjahan Sheikh and his supporters whom the local women of Sandeshkhali have accused of land-grabbing and sexually assaulting them under coercion, Mamata added that there are no records of rape with the West Bengal police. She hinted that the women of Sandheskhali have not been wronged and that this is a conspiracy hatched by the BJP to target TMC’s leader Shahjahan Sheikh.
“We are looking into the Sandeshkhali situation, no one involved in any wrongdoing will be spared, the BJPs’ target was a leader of the Trinamool Congress (Shajahan Sheikh),” Mamata Banerjee told the state Assembly.
Further attacking the media, Banerjee stated that fake media should be shut down and real media should function.
The BJP is spreading lies on Sandeshkhali and the police are taking action against people who are spreading lies, the CM said.
The WB CM further stated during the assembly that she has never tolerated injustice towards anyone and she never will. “We are looking into the Sandeshkhali situation; no one involved in any wrongdoing will be spared. I have sent the state women’s commission there and formed a police team for Sandeshkhali,” she said.
“A sinister design is at play to foment trouble in the area and the state government has taken all necessary actions to control the situation,” Banerjee added.
The West Bengal CM further said, “Our women’s team is present there. A police team is visiting people at their doorsteps to listen to their grievances. We will definitely address the issues that will be reported. I need to know the matter to act on it. RSS has a base there. Riots took place there 7-8 years back. It is one of the vulnerable riot spots. We handled the situation strongly during Saraswati Puja or else there were other plans.”
Mamata Banerjee’s statement came hours after the BJP MLAs staged a walkout from the assembly demanding a statement from the Chief Minister on Sandeshkhali, which has been on the boil over alleged atrocities on local, especially women, by ruling Trinamool leaders.
It is important to note that since the Sandeshkhali controversy erupted, the BJP has been questioning the lawlessness under Mamata Banerjee’s regime and why the woman Chief Minister of the state has turned her back on the victims. It has also raised fingers at Mamata Banerjee’s minister’s callous indifference towards the plight of the women victims and the high-handedness of the police in handling the issue.
Given the seriousness of the allegations, Mamata Banerjee’s police response has also been egregiously inadequate. The West Bengal police have sought to downplay the severity of the situation by blatantly denying the allegations of sexual assault and rape, calling them “misinformation.”
On Wednesday (14th February), West Bengal Police shared from their X handle that no allegations about the rape and sexual exploitation of women have so far been received in connection to the events in Sandeshkhali. The West Bengal Police also warned that “strict legal action will be initiated against sections of the media for spreading unfounded misinformation” in this regard. The police received multiple replies to this post criticising police handling of the Sandeshkhali issue. The police hid all these replies.
Besides, the West Bengal police, working at the behest of TMC supremo and CM Mamata Banerjee has been accused of shielding the accused TMC leaders, instead of taking action. Reportedly, during the protests, police accompanied the Trinamool Congress workers and harassed the protesting women.
Moreover, it emerged that instead of taking action against the accused, the WB police filed cases against relatives of victims for making complaints. This was revealed by Rekha Sharma, the chairperson of the National Commission for Women.
