Sandeshkhali is a village in Bashirhat subdivision of the North 24 Pargana district of southern West Bengal. It lies in Bashirhat Lok Sabha constituency, presently represented by Nusrat Jahan of the TMC. The Sandeshkhali assembly seat too is held by the TMC’s Sukumar Mehta. North 24 Pargana district shares porous border with Bangladesh and is close to Sundarbans. There are nearly 70% Hindus and 30% Muslims and over 50% Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes in this area.
Shahjahan Sheikh is a Trinamool Zila Parishad member and TMC strongman of Sandeshkhali. He is popularly called ‘Bhai’ by his followers. His crime syndicate comprises of brothers, Sirajuddin, Alamgir, and aides Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar. Sheikh Shahjahan and his thugs grabbed land, ponds, and homesteads of the poor people of this area. The police were never a problem for him because of his political clout. Land was snatched and dignity of women trampled with impunity in the area. No one spoke out, fearing retribution. He was an ordinary fisherman and became a multimillionaire after joining politics. Hardly any one remains poor in our country after joining politics.
On 5th January 2024, the Enforcement Directorate officials, escorted by the CRPF went to conduct raids at the premises of Shahjahan Sheikh in connection with the ration scam in Sandeshkhali. They were attacked by the locals and the supporters of Shahjahan Sheikh. The attackers, armed with weapons, chased away the ED team and the security forces, vandalized the vehicles and injured one ED officer. It is believed that the attack was orchestrated and executed by his brothers. Shahjahan Sheikh was not seen there. The attack on the ED team and the security forces speaks volumes about lawlessness in the state. The ED filed a new case against Shahjahan Sheikh related to land encroachment and searched many locations linked to him. He has been on the run since 5th January.
The empire built on the foundations of muscle power, exploitation, and fear was to be challenged soon. And the women, long exploited by Sheikh and his brothers were at the forefront. They took the cudgels as Sheikh fled after the ED raid. On 8th February, some local women wielding brooms and sticks blocked the main road In Sandeshkhali and demanded immediate arrest of Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides, Shiva Hazra and Uttam Sardar whom they accused of sexual abuse and harassment. Sheikh has been absconding, however, Shiva Hazra and Uttam Sardar have been arrested.
National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Rekha Sharma, with a delegation, visited the area and interacted with the victims and described the situation as horrible. Several women narrated their ordeal. One of them said that she was raped inside the TMC party office. She alleged that the state government was trying to suppress the voice of women and preventing the truth to come out. She demanded the immediate arrest of the main accused Shahjahan Sheikh. After his arrest, more women will come out with their complaints. She also alleged that the police were under pressure not to arrest Sheikh.
Calcutta High Court Chief Justice T S Shivagnanam said that the fugitive Shahjahan Sheikh is singularly responsible for the unrest in SandeshKhali, and law and order there can’t be restored so long he is on the run. He added that Mamta Bannerjee government “can’t be supporting him.” “One person is holding entire population to ransom and defying law…Let him appear before the court and submit that the allegations (levelled by ED) are baseless” CJ said. He further said, “It is rather surprising that the person who is the cause of the problem can’t be apprehended by the police. He is on run despite several cases pending against him.” On administration periodically clamping section 144, CJ said that either the state police don’t have the wherewithal (to arrest him) or the absconding person is outside their jurisdiction. Section 144 becomes meaningless then. Referring to the reports after state government putting in place a redress mechanism to address the land-grab complaints, CJ said that this shows there has been land grabbing in the area. The hearing of the PIL filed in court will begin soon.
The leaders of opposition parties were not allowed by the police to visit the area in the beginning. BJP MLA and the leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, whom High Court allowed to visit restive Sandeshkhali, interacted with the women. Many of them broke down while narrating their plight. He assured the people that the situation will change and the accused will be arrested. CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat visited the place and said that lawlessness prevails in the area. The civil fact-finding team was not allowed to visit the area and meet the victims.
This is the failure of the local administration and law enforcement agencies in controlling the influence of such criminal elements. Despite numerous complaints and cases against Sheikh, the police did not take strict lawful action against him, perhaps due to the political pressure. The accountability of such inefficient officers must be fixed. Sheikh and his associates exploited the socio-economic vulnerabilities of the local population, particularly women and marginalized communities, to maintain their power and influence. This indicates broader issues of injustice and inequality. Such instances of sexual abuse and harassment faced by women at the hands of Sheikh and his aides clearly emphasize the need to address the issue of gender-based violence and ensuring a safe environment for all the citizens, regardless of their socio-economic status. The ruling TMC party can’t turn a blind eye to Sheikh’s criminal activities and even provide tacit support, ethical governance with strong willpower needed to address such issues.
Deep introspection is required by the TMC and other political parties on such diabolical incidents. The criminals must be punished severely as per law to instil confidence in the common people. The nexus between the criminals and the politicians is detrimental to the society. The political system as a whole has to stop protecting and patronizing such mafia dons to secure the votes. Such compromises are unacceptable. The welfare of the people is more important than vote bank politics. The law breakers should not be protected by the lawmakers.
By Manoj Dubey
Principal (Retd.)
Delhi Public Schools
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Comments (1)
M
Great article with enrich of reality about Sandeshkhali. Such articles give us inside about bad face of TMC politics how they are doing against country to support Bengladeshi.