Sandeshkhali: TMC accuses NCW ofconspiracy, rights body says womenforced to retract complaints

PTI, 10 May, 2024, Kolkata/New Delhi :  On a day the TMC accused NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma of “abusing her authority and being involved in a conspiracy” in Sandeshkhali, where women have claimed they were deceived by the BJP into filing sexual assault complaints against TMC leaders, the NCW asserted that the women were coerced into retracting their complaints.

Stating TMC’s intention to move EC against Sharma, West Bengal minister and TMC spokesperson Shashi Panja on Friday alleged that the NCW chairperson acted on “political bias” over the allegations and “encouraged women of the area to level false allegations of sexual atrocities.” Later in the day, the NCW in a letter to the poll panel claimed that women from the riverine area were being “compelled” to withdraw their complaints by TMC workers given the ongoing Lok Sabha polls and sought an inquiry from the Election Commission in the matter.

“It has come to the notice of the Commission that the women of Sandeshkhali are being compelled to withdraw their complaints by TMC workers as they are the ruling party in West Bengal,” the women’s panel said.

National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma, after visiting Sandeshkali in February, had recommended to President Droupadi Murmu that President’s Rule be imposed in West Bengal over alleged atrocities on women and violence in Sandeshkhali.

Multiple purported videos of Sandeshkhali women shared by the TMC on Thursday claimed that a local saffron party leader made those women sign on blank papers which were later filled up as complaints of sexual assault.

The women in those purported videos claimed they were asked by local BJP worker Piyali Das to appear in person at the local police station and relate their ordeal before the NCW team which had visited Sandeshkhali to take stock of the situation.

The women later alleged that they never intended to lodge sexual assault complaints but were surprised to find such complaints filed in their names allegedly in the wake of the blank papers they were made to sign by Das.

Based on a complaint, police have filed an FIR against Das for coercing the women to “file false complaints”.

The TMC spokesperson claimed that the BJP was trying to create an “ecosystem” over allegations of atrocities in Sandeshkhali and that it was attempting to use various organisations for the purpose.

She alleged that although the BJP central leadership was regularly visiting West Bengal for poll campaigns, they have stopped talking about Sandeshkhali in the wake of the fresh developments from the ground.

“It is shameful that NCW has turned into BJP’s commission. We had heard about the Pulwama conspiracy in 2019, and now we are witnessing how the BJP hatches a conspiracy to malign us and the people of the state,” TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said.

The rights panel requested the poll body to ensure that women are not compelled to withdraw their complaints due to threat from TMC workers.

The Commission requested the EC to look into the matter on priority and ensure that women are not compelled to withdraw their complaints due to the threat from TMC workers.

“The TMC party workers are instilling fear among the women of Sandeshkhali to suppress the victims from coming forward with their complaints potentially impacting the fairness of the election process in the area,” the NCW claimed.

Since last Saturday, three videos have been released by a portal, with the first one showing a man who claimed to be a BJP mandal president in Sandeshkhali was heard saying that the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, was behind the “whole conspiracy”.

The second video was about women, who had earlier filed rape complaints, claiming that they were made to sign a blank paper by the BJP leaders and coerced to go to the police station.

The third video showed the BJP candidate from Basirhat constituency and Sandeshkhali protestor Rekha Patra claiming that she “doesn’t know the rape survivors who were taken to Delhi to meet the President.” Reacting to TMC’s claim, the BJP dubbed it baseless and accused them of circulating “fake videos”.

“The TMC is using fake videos to change the narrative ahead of the polls. The TMC has the least regard for NCW or the dignity of the women of Sandeshkhali. All the videos released are fake and doctored,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

The riverine Sandeshkhali area — situated on the borders of the Sundarbans, about 100 kilometres from Kolkata — had been on the boil in February with protests over allegations of sexual abuse and land grab against now arrested TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters.