Even though the Calcutta High Court had ordered a court-monitored probe by CBI into the allegations of sexual abuse and land grabbing by Trinamool Congress leaders in Sandeshkhali in West Bengal, the situation remains volatile in the area. In a fresh incident creating tension, a house of a BJP worker was set on fire allegedly by TMC workers on Wednesday night.
BJP worker Subrata Mandal in Khulna village panchayat of Sandeshkhali has alleged that miscreants linked with TMC set his house on fire late last night. The entire house was reduced to ashes after the fire. However, the TMC has denied any links with the perpetrators.
Subrata Mandal alleged that Trinamool-sponsored miscreants set fire to his house late on Wednesday night. Seeing the fire, the people of the village rushed to try to put out the fire. But before they could control the fire, the house had turned into ashes. Visuals show that only a few bamboo poles remain standing where the house once existed.
While Subrata Mandal has accused TMC-linked miscreants for burning the house, the TMC leaders have denied the allegation, saying that the party has no link with the incident. Trinamool leader Suresh Mondal alleged that the house was burnt as a result of a dispute in the family, which is been given communal colours.
He said, “Subrata’s house was set on fire because of a family dispute. Let the police investigate and the real truth will come out.”
Subrata Mandal has also alleged that the TMC led administration has deprived him of all services because he an active worker of BJP. He said that they burnt his because they could not force him to join TMC. He said that there were many things in the house, and everything was gutted.
In the meanwhile, despite the nationwide focus on the area, TMC leaders allegedly continue to terrorise the women of Sandeshkhali. A Republic Bangla report has revealed that TMC workers are distributing sarees among women asking them to vote for TMC. They are also threatening them with consequences if they don’t vote for the party.
The party workers are distributing green sarees to the women in the dark of the night. Notably, the sarees are not funded by TMC, but they are procured by the West Bengal State Disaster Management Authority to distribute as relief material during disasters, as it is clearly printed on the sarees. The stamps on the sarees show that they were procured in the year 2019, which means the sarees were procured five years ago, but they were lying in store instead of distributing to disaster victims, now those sarees are being used by TMC to entice voters.
Talking to Republic Bangla, several women from Sandeshkhali said that TMC workers visit them in the night to distribute the sarees, and ask them to vote on TMC’s symbol. They also threaten the women that if they don’t vote for TMC, their fingers will be cut, they will be killed. They said that as the place has not streetlights, local TMC leaders visit the area in the dark of the night and distribute the sarees with threats.
The women said that the people who visit them work under Sheikh Shahjahan, and they still fear the TMC strongman. They said that they can vote without fear only if there is a proper CBI probe against Shahjahan.
