Privileges Panel Issues Notice To Top Cops On Bengal BJP Chief's Complaint

The Privileges Committee of the Lok Sabha on Thursday issued a notice to senior police officers in West Bengal on a complaint filed by the BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar, alleging misconduct, brutality and life-threatening injuries during a fight with uniformed personnel amid a protest against the prevailing unrest in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali the day before.

"The (Privileges) Committee has asked Rajeev Kumar, IPS, DGP/IGP, Government of West Bengal, Basirhat SP Hossain Mehedi Rehman, and Additional SP Partha Ghosh to appear before it on February 19 for oral evidence on the above-subjected matter," read a notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

Amid the rising tide of violence in the wake of allegations of atrocities on women by fugitive TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides in Sandeshkhali, Mr Majumdar wrote to the Privileges Committee alleging breach of privilege and violation of protocol norms.

The BJP state chief was, on Wednesday, admitted to a multi-speciality hospital in Basirhat after he reportedly fell and lost consciousness during a police lathi charge on protesters.

The police personnel and the protesting BJP workers came to blows on Wednesday after the latter tried to defy the prohibitory orders clamped in the vicinity of the SP's office in Basirhat prior to the demonstration.

Earlier, the BJP announced the formation of a six-member committee of Union Ministers and MPs, which will visit the scene of the violence and unrest--Sandeshkhali--and file a comprehensive report after gathering facts about the prevailing situation and the alleged excesses on women in the area in Bengal's North Parganas district.

Union Minister Annapurna Devi was named as the convenor of the high-level committee, which also comprises Pratima Bhowmik, BJP MPs Sunita Duggal, Kavita Patidar, Sangeeta Yadav, and Brijlal.
The panel has been directed to visit the incident site, take stock of the situation, talk to the victims and submit a report to BJP national president JP Nadda.

With the situation in Sandeshkhali threatening to spiral out of hand, the TMC government, earlier, reimposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in and around 500 metres of areas in seven-gram panchayats, including Sandeshkhali.

Even as the BJP went hammer and tongs at the ruling party over the Sandeshkhali unrest, the TMC blamed the principal Opposition party in the state for trying to disturb peace in Sandeshkhali.

"The sole motive of the BJP was to create unrest and incite violence in Sandeshkhali. There were stone-pelting incidents that left many injured. They (BJP) claimed that women were violated and abused. (Union Minister) Smriti Irani, too, made instigating statements. The TMC condemns the BJP's ploy to disturb peace in Sandeshkhali under the leadership of Sukanta Majumdar," TMC spokesperson Sashi Panja said earlier.

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