"Do Not Take Law Into Your Hands": Bengal Police Chief On Sandeshkhali Row

West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar who arrived in Sandeshkhali for the second consecutive day said that the chief role of the police is to establish "rule of law" in the troubled island but warned that no one should take the law into their hands.

"All of us need to establish rule of law here. Rule of law does not mean that I have been wronged and so I will take the law into my hands. We have to follow procedure and we are doing it everywhere," the DGP said speaking to reporters at Sandeshkhali on Friday.

"We are setting up a camp here. We will take all complaints from you," the DGP said while speaking to a villager in front of the media crew. "Please take her phone number and record her statement," he instructed his fellow officer.

Rajeev Kumar cautioned that some accused do not want an easy resolution of the villager's problems and are trying to create fresh problems.

"Some people do not want all the problems to get solved fast. We can say where artificial fires have been lit and where humans have lit. If they lit a fire at a distant hut and try to make everyone busy, we will deal with it strongly. If anyone takes law into their hands we will take strict action against them," the DGP said speaking to reporters.

Appealing to the media not to sensationalise the issues unravelling about Sandeshkhali, the DGP said, "Today on the first page it has come out that people have captured a plot of land. Such yellow journalism is wrong. One of the complainants said that her house was destroyed one year back. We will definitely look into it. But that does not mean that she has the right to break someone else's house."

Earlier on Thursday, after visiting Sandeshkhali, the West Bengal DGP returned to Kolkata and said that action would be taken against all accused who took the law into their hands.

"Action will be taken against all those who took law in their hands. The allegations of locals are being heard and looked into. Everyone should cooperate with the police and Administration. Action will be taken against anyone who broke the law," Rajeev Kumar said.

The Sandeshkhali area has been witnessing unrest for over 10 days as women protestors are seeking justice against alleged atrocities committed by TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides.

A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of "land-grab and sexually assaulting" them under coercion.

Shajahan Sheikh has been missing after a mob, allegedly affiliated with him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his premises in connection with a ration scam on January 5.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)