Stepping up its attack on the ruling Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, the BJP on Thursday released a documentary on Sandeshkhali, which has been tense after several women launched a protest over alleged sexual atrocities committed against them by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides.
The 20-minute documentary shows women of Sandeshkhali narrating how Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides allegedly grabbed their land and sexually assaulted them.
“A truth that’ll shock us. A truth that’ll pain us. A truth that’ll shake our conscience. The truth of Sandeshkhali, that Mamata Banerjee is trying to hideâæ,” the BJP said while posting the documentary on X.
In another post in Bengali, the BJP questioned Mamata Banerjee, “Didi ke bolo aaro koto ‘Sandeshkhali’ (Tell didi how many more Sandeshkhali-like incidents)”. Mamata Banerjee is fondly called “Didi” or elder sister in West Bengal.
The documentary shows women sharing their ordeal and how Shahjahan Sheikh and his supporters usurped their land and exploited villagers without paying any compensation.
Shahjahan Sheikh has been absconding since January 5 after a team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which went to Sandeshkhali to raid his home in connection with alleged irregularities in the state’s public distribution system, was attacked by his supporters.
The development comes amid an escalating war of words between the ruling TMC and the BJP over alleged incidents of rape and harassment of women in Sandeshkhali.
The West Bengal Police has, however, said it had received no complaints of rape or sexual assault from women in Sandeshkhali after enquiries by the various teams.
Over the past two weeks, several BJP leaders, and teams from the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have visited Sandeshkhali. Governor CV Ananda Bose also visited the region in North 24 Parganas, describing the situation as “ghastly, shocking, and shattering”.
Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari visited the island on Tuesday and said there was “no democracy” there.