Protests against alleged land-grabbing by TMC leaders spread to Majherpara and Halderpara localities in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali block on Saturday. Protesters sought the arrest of fugitive TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his brother Sheikh Sirajuddin.
A woman protester in Majherpara could be heard asking the police, “Why did you (the police) not arrest Shahjahan Sheikh? You are now coming to us to take complaints. When we went to file complaints, we were not entertained. In front of the police, TMC goons beat us. Why did you not take any action then? We do not want government help. We do not want Mamata Banerjee’s sympathy. We need peace. We are demanding the death penalty for Sheikh Shahjahan.”
Meanwhile, some people chased family members of a local TMC leader in Halderpara, alleging that they grabbed their land and gave it to Sirajuddin.
On Thursday, villagers had ransacked and set fire to the guard room of a fishery in Jhupkhali. The villagers alleged that the fishery was set up by local TMC leaders on encroached land. Then on Friday, villagers reportedly beat up local TMC leader Ajit Maity in Bermojur.
Reacting to the situation in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar said, “Galat ache, manchi to amra. (There has been a mistake. We are accepting that.) We will establish the rule of law… If you have a complaint, tell us. Don’t take the law into your own hands. We will take action.”
Meanwhile, the police have started a camp in Bermojur for villagers to file complaints. More than 50 complaints of land grabbing were filed at the camp against TMC leader Sheikh Sirajuddin on Saturday alone.
However, Sandeshkhali MLA Sukumar Mahato claimed that the TMC had expelled Sirajuddin. He said, “After receiving various complaints, we expelled Sirajuddin one month ago. He assured us that he would return all grabbed land. Meanwhile, the Sandeshkhali agitation started.”
Sandeshkhali has been on the edge since the first week of February, following violent protests by locals demanding the arrest of Zilla Parishad member and TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his two aides, Shibaprasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar.
Both Sardar and Hazra were arrested last week. Shahjahan has been on the run since the January 5 attack on Enforcement Directorate officials in Sandeshkhali. The probe agency team had gone to Sandeshkhali to conduct searches at Shahjahan’s residence in connection with the alleged ration distribution scam.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) youth leader Minakshi Mukherjee on Saturday entered Sandeshkhali through an area that had no police deployment. After entering Sandeshkhali, Mukherjee started conversing with locals. However, a police team soon reached the spot and stopped Mukherjee, claiming that Section 144 of the CrPC was in force in the area.
Thereafter, Mukherjee sat in protest on the road. She said, “Two ministers are roaming here but then no Section 144 is applicable for them. We are saying that we will go into the village three people at a time. Then also the police did not give us any permission. They are doing illegal work. We will complain against these officers in court.”
She further said, “People are alleging that their land was grabbed, their MGNREGA wages were looted. They were assaulted. The West Bengal government must answer these allegations.”
Before Mukherjee, state Irrigation Minister Partha Bhowmik and Fire Minister Sujit Basu visited Sandeshkhali.
Bhowmik told media persons, “We came as government representatives. We got a report that canal channels were diverted in Sandeshkhali to drain salt water into different fields. We will restore those canals within 20 days.”
On Saturday, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari likened the situation in Sandeshkhali to Nandigram, where a movement against ‘forcible’ land acquisition by the then Left Front government in 2007-08 catapulted the TMC to power.
