Sandeshkhali incident: 17 arrested, won't allow injustice, says CM Mamata

Sandeshkhali is at the centre of a political storm for the past one month. TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his followers have been accused by several women of sexual misconduct, triggering protests

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday, said that 17 people were arrested in the Sandeshkhali incident, in which the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters are accused of land-grab and sexually assaulting women.

Banerjee, while speaking in the state assembly, said, "We are looking into the Sandeshkhali situation; no one involved in any wrongdoing will be spared. I have sent the state women's commission there and formed a police team for Sandeshkhali."

What is happening in Sandeshkhali?

The village, located in the North 24 Parganas district, has been at the centre of a political storm for the past month. TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his followers have been accused by several women of sexual misconduct, triggering protests and a political blame game between the ruling TMC and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Several locals in the area have taken to the streets to demand action against Sheikh, who is on the run.

The matter came to the spotlight over a month ago on January 5, when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) went to the village to conduct a raid on the TMC leader's residence in an alleged ration distribution scam.

Shajahan Sheikh absconding

The probe agency's team was assaulted by Sheikh's men at that time, following which he went absconding.

Following the ED incident, the abuse allegations came to light after several women shared their ordeal, accusing Sheikh and his men of forcibly grabbing their land for prawn cultivation and torturing and sexually harassing them for several years. The complainants said TMC leaders Uttam Sardar and Shibaprasad Hazra were also involved in the abuse.

The tensions further escalated last Friday after protestors burnt down three poultry farms belonging to Hazra. They claimed the farms were built on villagers' lands.

Suvendu Adhikari prevented from visiting Sandeshkhali

While Banerjee claimed that a "sinister design is at play" to foment trouble in the area, the BJP has been raking the issue, demanding immediate arrest of Sheikh and the other accused.

Notably, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was prevented from going to Sandeshkhali by police earlier today.

BJP President J P Nadda has also formed a six-member committee of party MPs to visit the area, likely on Friday.