"Trinamool Goons Threatened Women": BJP On Fresh Sandeshkhali Clashes

After fresh clashes broke between Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party at Sandeshkhali, BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Basirhat Rekha Patra explained that BJP retaliated when TMC leader Dilip Malik came to the police station with his team, abused women and beat them up.

"TMC goons went to the residence of the daughter of 'Andolankaari maa', Sagori Das. TMC goons picked her up and then also threatened her... Then they went to Jeliakhali and attacked the residence of our three members...When we came to the police station. Dilip Malik came here with his team and then abused all the women here and beat them so we retaliated and hit them back. In this regard, they (TMC) have registered a complaint in the name of Dr Archana Majumdar and in my name, (Rekha Patra)," Rekha Patra said speaking to ANI on Sunday.

TMC leader Sukumar Mahato, giving details about the incident, told ANI, "TMC was conducting a meeting regarding issues in the Khulna area. BJP came and started a fight; they thrashed our workers."

"We have been able to hold a meeting to talk about the dignity of Sandeshkhali women. Women are protesting against the way BJP conspired against them. You have also seen how Dilip Mallik was attacked today. This is unacceptable. In politics, one party should help the other in their meetings and rallies. Instead of that, Dilip Mallik and other workers were beaten up. Around three-four thousand people assembled for the meeting..," Sukumar Mahato added.

Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district started hitting the headlines in February this year when villagers, mostly women, came out on the streets against the ruling TMC and Trinamool's Shahjahan Sheikh, accusing the strongman and his aides of perpetrating gross excesses and atrocities on them while also gobbling up their land. Multiple women on the island accused Shajahan and his aides of "land-grab and sexual assault" under coercion.

The All India Trinamool Congress has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India seeking criminal proceedings against National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma and BJP leaders including Piyali Das for "commission of serious offences of forgery, cheating, fraud, intimidation and criminal conspiracy upon innocent women of Sandeshkhali."

On May 4, a video of a sting operation surfaced that has stirred up controversy in Sandeshkhali. The video was broadcast by a local television channel. In the purpoted video, a BJP mandal (booth) president named Gangadhar Koyal is heard saying that Sandeshkhali women, who weren't sexually assaulted, were projected as 'rape' victims at the behest of BJP's Leader of Opposition in Trinamool, Suvendu Adhikari.

Shahjahan Sheikh, the key Sandeshkhali accused, is currently in jail in connection with the attack on a team of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) while it was in the process of raiding his residence in connection with the alleged ration scam.

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