• By Abhirupa Kundu
  • Mon, 19 Feb 2024 02:47 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Sandeshkhali has been simmering in violence for the past couple of weeks over allegations against Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his henchmen of sexual abuse by the local women of the West Bengal's village in North 24 Parganas. Bharatiya Janata Party workers and leaders have been holding large-scale protests in the village and slamming the Mamata Banerjee-led state government for alleged inaction in the case.

In the latest development, the Supreme Court on Friday said that it will consider the urgent listing of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a probe by the CBI or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged sexual assault of women in Sandeshkhali area.

Here's A Timeline Of What Has Transpired So Far In The Sandeshkhali Case:

January 5: The furour was triggered when a mob attacked a team of Enforcement Directorate officials who were on their way to interrogate Sheikh Shahjahan in an alleged ration distribution scam. Since this incident, the TMC leader has been absconding.

February 8: Tensions escalated when hundreds of women in Sandeshkhali in West Bengal hit the streets demanding the arrest of absconding Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, also the mastermind behind the attack on ED and CAPF personnel. The principal allegation is that the women of Sandeshkhali were victims of immense humiliation and torture by Shahjahan and his associates before he absconded after the attack. 

February 9: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a third summons to the absconding leader Sheikh Shahjahan. Protests in Sandeshkhali took a violent turn as agitators burnt down a poultry farm owned by Shahjahan's close confidant and Trinamool Congress leader Shibu Hazra.

February 10: West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose instructed the state government to submit a report on the violence that broke out in Sandeshkhali on Friday, the Raj Bhavan stated. The Governor's office has also asked the government to take action against those involved in the incident.

The police imposed Section 144 at Sandeshkhali and also banned the use of the internet in the area till the time the situation got normalised.

February 11: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) sought a ground report from the West Bengal government on the situation in Sandeshkhali.

West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and alleged that being a woman, she had failed to protect ST women in Sandeshkhali violence. "The way reports are coming out of violence and rape cases in Sandeshkhali shows that TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh and Shiv Prasad Hazra have established their aristocratic rule and inflicting pain on women from the ST caste. Being a woman, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has failed to protect women in Sandeshkhali," he said.

February 12: Six BJP MLAs, including the Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari were suspended from the Assembly for the entire session by Speaker Biman Bandhopadhya following protests by the saffron camp MLAs within the House over the continuing violence and tension in Sandeshkhali.

The state administration has extended the internet ban to the adjacent Hingalganj area.

February 13: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday set aside the promulgation of prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC at Sandeshkhali. The court observed that instead of exhausting all their efforts to quell protests by, at best, lathi-wielding village women, the police authorities need to fix their priorities better and look for the two alleged prime perpetrators of crimes.

February 14: The West Bengal government reimposed section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in and around 500 metres of area in seven-gram panchayats, including Sandeshkhali. Sector 144 has been imposed in the area till February 19 to maintain law and order in view of the agitation by the BJP over allegations of sexual harassment by women in Sandeshkhali block.

February 15: An advocate moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of investigation and subsequent trial outside West Bengal in connection with the alleged sexual assault on women in Sandeshkhali.

The plea has been moved by Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava who also sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the apex court monitoring.

February 16: Members of the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) visited Sandeshkhali to investigate allegations of child abuse. The WBCPCR team visited Khulna village in Sandeshkhali to investigate a case of violence against a child in the area wherein a woman alleged that miscreants forcibly entered her house, "physically assaulted her and also snatched her infant daughter and callously threw her away."

The state Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar said that a 10-member committee led by two Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank women officers is investigating the Sandeshkhali events.

February 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will likely hold a rally in Barasat, a subdivision in North 24 Parganas district and next to Sandeshkhali village. The rally is expected to be held in the first week of March.

Shahjahan's close aid Shibu Hazra, who was arrested earlier in connection with the Sandeshkhali violence issue, was sent to police custody for eight days. The Basirhat subdivision court sent Hazra to eight days of police custody. Shibu Hazra was arrested in the Najat area of Basirhat in West Bengal on February 17.

February 19: The Supreme Court issued notice to concerned respondents and also stayed the Parliament Ethics Committee proceedings against West Bengal senior officials in the matter relating to the Sandeshkhali protest.

A delegation led by the National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Rekha Sharma left for Kolkata ahead of her Sandeshkhali visit. "A lot of injustice has been done to women, and I want to go to every street and talk to all the women and assure them that I stand with them so that they can have the courage to come forward and speak up," the NCW chief said.