 "West Bengal BJP leader held for running sex racket amid Sandeshkhali row")
In the midst of a raging controversy over charges of sexual violence against women in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday claimed that state police have arrested Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sabyasachi Ghosh for allegedly conducting a prostitution racket of minor girls in Howrah.
TMC further claimed that the police have arrested 11 accused and rescued six minor girls from Howrah's Sankrail, where the alleged sex racket was functioning.
The party also took a dig at the BJP, saying that the saffron party protects pimps instead of daughters and women.
"@BJP4Bengal leader Sabyasachi Ghosh was caught running a prostitution racket of minor girls in his hotel in Howrah's Sankrail. The police arrested 11 accused and rescued six victims from the spot. This is the BJP. They don't protect betis; they protect pimps!" TMC wrote on X.
The development came amid the row over violence against women in Sandeshkhali, where fresh protests erupted on Friday with women hitting the streets and setting ablaze a thatched structure linked to TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan, seeking his and his aides’ arrest over allegations of sexual assault and land grabbing.
The fresh protests came hours after Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar, who visited Sandeshkhali on Wednesday, urged people not to take the law into their own hands.
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Meanwhile, the BJP has slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the TMC for neglecting the issues of women. Several women leaders, including BJP MP Locker Chatterjee, were detained today while on their way to the area.
"We were denied entry to Sandeshkhali by the police, citing prohibitory orders. The state government is trying to hide the truth," Paul claimed.