According to reports, local are on street protesting against the TMC leader Sheikh Shajahan and his associates. The demonstrators claimed that they were compelled to labor on the farms which was forcibly occupied by the TMC worker and his aide.
On Friday, an extensive protest was organized by the locals, who wanted Sheikh Shajahan, the leader of the Trinamool Congress, and his allies arrested. Poultry farms were set on fire, and a house was being vandalized as the protests got violent.
On the third day of the agitation, as protests grew more intense, locals carried sticks and other objects and staged processions in various parts of the neighborhood. According to police, vandalism occurred at Shajahan’s aide Shibu Prasad Hazra’s home in the afternoon. Additionally, three of Hazra’s chicken farms in Zeliakhali were reportedly set on fire.
What is happening in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal?
The demonstrators claimed that they were forced to labor on the farms because they were constructed on land that had been taken from them. According to the police, eight people were taken into custody in relation to the protests. Hazra’s followers were charged with assaulting the demonstrators on Friday.
To drive the protestors away, the police used lathi-charges. According to Hossain Mehedi Rahaman, Superintendent of Police, forces were dispatched to the area to address the situation. He said that a complaint made by the villagers on Thursday against Shajahan and his aides was being investigated. They were being searched for, the SP stated.
Additional Director-General (Law and Order) Manoj Verma told reporters that the situation was under control and pleaded with people not to break the law. “All of the complaints have been investigated, and appropriate action will be taken. On the other hand, if someone decides to enforce the law, it will proceed on its own. Right now, the situation is under control,” he stated.
In the meantime, the residents began to blockade the Sandeshkhali police station, threatening to stay there until Shajahan and his associates were taken into custody. Shajahan vanished last month after a mob attacked an ED team that was supposed to raid his home in connection with an alleged ration scam.
In addition to torturing people, the locals claimed that Shajahan and his “gang” forcedfully seized large areas of land during their “reign.”