Sandeshkhali: DGP Rajeev Kumar assures action against culprits
‘I came here to talk to my officers. It’s our responsibility to see the well-being of the people...’
On a day the Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar assured that strict action will be taken against those found guilty in connection with the Sandeshkhali incident, the police administration in a parallel development reclaimed a ground which was allegedly captured by Sheikh Shahjahan’s associates.
The DGP, on Thursday, said that police will listen to the complaints of every individual in Sandeshkhali and action will be taken. “I came here to talk to my officers. It’s our responsibility to see the well-being of the people. We will listen to the complaints of every individual. If there is any incident regarding land grabbing or anything else, we will take strict action against those found guilty,” Kumar told reporters at Dhamakhali on Thursday morning.
Kumar went to Sandeshkhali on February 21 and stayed overnight to assess the situation in the troubled areas. He also assured of strict action against those found involved in torturing women.
Incidentally, a ground in Sandeshkhali, once known as Rishi Aurobindo Maidan, was allegedly captured by Sheikh Shahjahan’s associates and renamed as ‘Sheikh Shahjahan Fan Club’, as learnt from a poster on the boundary wall. It was reclaimed by the police on Thursday. The local people alleged that Shahjahan’s close aides had captured the land. Police have white-washed the boundary wall.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) team, on Thursday reached trouble-torn Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas and interacted with the local people. It received over 23 complaints of land grabbing and torture during the interaction. NCST acting vice-chairperson Ananta Nayak said that they have also received complaints against a politician which they would include in their report to the President.
“Some residents of Sandeshkhali have mentioned the name of a political leader. We will include it in our report. We have received more than 23 complaints so far. We will compare this (their findings) with the ground report and then submit it to the President,” Nayak told reporters.
The NCST team’s visit comes days after a team of the National Commission for Women (NCW) and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) visited the area. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday issued a notice to the state government regarding ongoing violence and human rights violations in the area.
A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of “land-grab and sexually assaulting” them. Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly led by his aides, attacked Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials who went to Sandeshkhali to raid his house in connection with a ration scam on January 5.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar who was staging a “dharna” outside Sandeshkhali police station was held by the police on Thursday evening and he was forced to leave the place in an E-rickshaw. Majumdar was later forced to board a police boat at Sandeshkhali Ghat. Earlier in the day, the police had asked him to withdraw the agitation. Police claimed that Majumdar was violating Section 144 that was imposed in the area.
