NCW doesn’t stand for women wrestlers, silent on Manipur issue where women were paraded naked

Panja claimed that the Bengal government has taken all necessary steps to control the situation in Sandeshkhali and several have been arrested

MP, 19 February, Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national spokesperson Shashi Panja on Monday questioned the credibility of National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma’s visit to Sandeshkhali. 

She asked: “Why didn’t she visit Madhya Pradesh’s Morena, where a pregnant woman was gang-raped and set ablaze? Why didn’t the NCW respond when female wrestlers protested against a BJP MP’s alleged sexual misconduct? Why did the commission ignore complaints of atrocities against women in Manipur?” 

Panja claimed that the Bengal government has taken all necessary steps to control the situation in Sandeshkhali and several have been arrested. “Manipur was burning for the last several months. Did the BJP chief minister resign? Did they impose President’s Rule there? The commission should act impartially and should not act as an extended office of the BJP,” she said. 

NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma on Monday demanded the imposition of President’s Rule in the state. She also accused the Bengal government of stifling the voices of numerous women in Sandeshkhali during protests against alleged atrocities on women by Shahjahan and his aides. During a press conference, Sharma alleged that TMC leader Shahjahan is being saved because he is part of a political party. 

She also said that women there will not feel safe till Sheikh is nabbed by the police. Reacting to the development of NCW demanding President’s Rule, Sagarika Ghose posted on X: “NCW chief goes to Sandeshkhali for a few hours and recommends the President’s Rule rule. 

Same NCW that won’t stand up for women wrestlers or when women raise their voice in any @BJP4India ruled state. Not a word on Manipur where violence has gone on for months, women paraded naked and 1000s of women are in relief camps. 

Now you know the shocking politics being played out. Does #RekhaSharma care about women’s welfare or only about playing politics?” 

 TMC state vice-president Jaiprakash Majumdar said that NCW panel is just parroting the agenda of the BJP. Sharma, however, declined to comment on the remarks by the Trinamool Congress. Incidentally, a delegation of NCW led by its chairperson Rekha Sharma visited unrest-hit Sandeshkhali on Monday. 

She is going to submit the report to the President. Last week two members of NCW visited the area and submitted a report revealing a “troubling pattern of negligence and complicity” by the Bengal government and law enforcement officials. 

The NCW chief’s remarks drew a sharp rebuttal from the ruling TMC, which accused the panel of echoing the BJP’s agenda and wondered why the panel failed to show similar promptness in BJP-ruled states.