Northeast Desk, 12th May: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has asserted that the reported incidents in the Sandeshkhali area of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district are merely the beginning, indicating that similar problems may be widespread throughout the state.
“Saha suggests that Sandeshkhali is just the beginning, sending a strong message to West Bengal. He claims that incidents like these are not isolated and are happening across the state,”
These remarks come amidst a heated debate over a sting video related to the Sandeshkhali case, where several women accused former TMC leader Sheikh Shajahan and his associates of land grabbing and sexual assault. Shajahan is currently in jail for an attack on an Enforcement Directorate team.
The purported sting footage, broadcasted by a local channel, features a man claiming to be a BJP worker alleging that the accusers were falsely portrayed as rape victims on the advice of Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari to facilitate Shajahan’s arrest. However, the authenticity of the clip has not been verified by the channel.
Previously, the BJP’s West Bengal unit president Sukanta Majumdar accused the TMC of releasing such videos to “mislead people,” contrasting them with victim statements recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC before a magistrate.
The Sandeshkhali issue has ignited a fresh political battle between the TMC and BJP ahead of the upcoming panchayat polls in the state.