Sandeshkhali: Sheikh Shahjahan Tortured Tribals Who Voted Against TMC, Snatched Wages And Lands; NCST Probe

Sheikh Shahjahan and associates, who are accused of land grab and sexual assault of women in Sandeshkhali, subjected tribal families to torture, snatched away their MNREGA earnings if found voting against the ruling TMC.

Sandeshkhali Unrest: TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan tortured poor tribal families, snatched their lands and forcibly took away their MNREGA wages for voting against the ruling party in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) claimed based on a report `by its probe team which visited the troubled enclave recently.

According to the NCST, Shahjahan and associates, who are accused of land grab and sexual assault of women in Sandeshkhali, subjected tribal families to torture, snatched away their MNREGA earnings if found voting against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

‘Haven’t seen anything like this’

A three-member team of the NCST, led by its Vice-Chairperson Ananta Nayak, which visited Sandeshkhali claimed that many complainants told them that Shahjahan and his accomplices are allegedly being “protected” by the West Bengal Police.

“The NCST team learned that Shahjahan would instruct poor tribal people to give him their MNREGA earnings. And in case they had already exhausted it, he would ask them to borrow money from lenders and give it to him,” Nayak said.

“I have not not seen anything like this across the country,” he added.

Nayak said the probe team is currently in the process of filing a report of its findings, which will be sent to the government.

Women called at night, families tortured for voting against TMC

The NCST official said the panel received over 50 complaints of sexual harassment of tribal women and land grab by Shahjahan and his associates.

He said that the complainants, the majority of whom are Hindus, told the probe team that the accused and his associates tortured people who voted against the TMC in elections.

The victims of the absconding TMC leader’s torment, told the tribal panel that Shahjahan and his accomplices, often demanded local women to come for meetings late at night and torture the families of those who dared to defy his demands.

“If the victim approached the police, they would not file an FIR or a complaint and instead ask the complainants to ‘negotiate’ with Shahjahan. The police backed the accused in this case,” the NCST vice-chairperson said.

Land grabbing

The complaints also told the NCST team that the accused would ask tribal families to hand over their land to him and release saltwater in the fields if they protested.

Nayak said Shahjahan allegedly grabbed land of more than a thousand tribal and non-tribal people in an area stretching more than 10 kilometres.

On February 20, the commission issued notices to the chief secretary of West Bengal and the state’s police chief, asking them to submit factual and action taken reports on the matter within three days.

Sandeshkhali unrest

Since the first week of February, villages in Sandeshkhali area in North 24 district have witnessed protests over allegations of sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing by TMC leaders.

The police have so far arrested 18 people including local TMC leader Shibu Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar in connection with the incidents of violence at Sandeshkhali. They have also added sections of ‘gangrape’ and ‘attempted murder’ against three of the prime accused, one of whom is still absconding.

The sections were added after a victim woman recorded her statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC.

A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused TMC strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of “land-grab and sexually assaulting” them under coercion.

Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly affiliated to him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his premises in connection with a ration scam on January 5.

(With PTI inputs)