On Friday, several female leaders, including BJP MP Locker Chatterjee, were arrested while travelling through Sandeshkhali, citing Section 144. This sparked a new controversy surrounding the area. The strongman Sheikh Shahjahan of the Trinamool Party and his supporters have been the target of protests by women in Sandeshkhali for the past few days, accusing them of sexual abuse and land grabbing.
Kunal Ghosh, a leader of Trinamool, stated that since BJP leaders are lining up daily to visit Sandeshkhali, it is likely that Delhi has given the order to prolong the Sandeshkhali issue until Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in West Bengal in March. As part of his scheduled itinerary, PM Modi will visit West Bengal on March 1 and 2, and on March 6 he will speak at a women’s rally in North 24 Parganas. North 24 Parganas is home to Sandeshkhali.
“Locker Chatterjee travels to Sandeshkhali for a photo shoot instead of her constituency. Thus, Kunal Ghosh stated, “They will go every day, provoke the people, and stage some drama.” Representative Locket Chatterjee, state secretary Sonali Murmu, advocate Priyanka Tibrewal, advocate Madhuchandra Kar, general secretary Agnimitra Paul, Falguni Patra, and Paromita Dutta were among the women’s team members travelling to Sandeshkhali on Friday.
Fresh protests against Shahjahan began in some parts of the country on Friday, and West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar was in Sandeshkhali. A close aide to Shahjahan and two leaders of the TMC are among the eighteen persons that police have detained thus far in relation to the land grab and sexual assault. Since the ED’s initial raid on Shahjahan’s home in January, he has absconded.
Sukanta Majumder, the president of the West Bengal BJP, was taken into custody on Thursday for organising a demonstration against the Sandeshkhali events. “They had to use force to get us up,” When I was released from jail, I had to sign a bail bond. Here, on a dharna, we were detained. Unless our employees are permitted to travel to Sandeshkhali, we will not stop protesting and raising our voices.”
The FBI searched multiple locations throughout the state on Friday and filed a new case against Shahjahan Sheikh.