3 Cabinet Mins, Land dept officials visit Sandeshkhali

Kolkata: A day after West Bengal Police DG Rajeev Kumar assured that camps will be set up to take complaints of land grabbing, three state Cabinet ministers along with Land department officials reached Sandeshkhali on Sunday.

Three ministers of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Cabinet — Partha Bhowmick, Sujit Bose and Birbaha Hansda — on Sunday, visited Sandeshkhali and spoke to the locals about their grievances. They were also accompanied by Sandeshkhali’s Trinamool MLA Sukumar Mahato. The delegation visited Kalinagar village and spoke to

the residents.

Camps were also set up on behalf of the Land department to take complaints from villagers of land grabbing. Several villagers there had alleged that TMC leaders Shajahan Sheikh, Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar had grabbed their lands and turned them into fisheries (bheri) without giving any compensation.

Sujit Bose is learnt to have told the media there that the delegation is visiting places where Section 144 has been imposed. He also reportedly claimed that allegations have come from a few places in Sandeshkhali which has 16 Panchayat areas.

Amid Opposition parties questioning how was the delegation allowed in areas with Section 144 when Opposition party delegations were stopped by the police, the minister said: “We have not come here to muzzle anyone’s voice but to hear grievances of the people on behalf of the state government.

Unlike the BJP and the CPI(M) who are trying to instigate people, we have come here to ensure people can live in peace in the area. The state administration has already taken steps to arrest the culprits.”

Bose further said: “The CPI(M) had unleashed violence during their rule in Bengal which includes Sandeshkhali. They have no right to point fingers at the incumbent state government. Why is the BJP silent on the crimes against women in Uttar Pradesh or in Manipur where women were raped and paraded naked?”

Partha Bhowmick too raised similar allegations against the BJP and CPI(M). The delegation said they would again visit Sandeshkhali on February 26 at 3 pm.

Meanwhile, Sujit Bose also announced that following the arrest of Shibu Hazra, Trinamool Congress has decided to give the responsibility of Sandeshkhali-II Block to its MLA Sukumar Mahato. Hazra, who was arrested on Saturday, is the block president of Sandeshkhali-II.