Sandeshkhali is located in West Bengal’s north 24 Parganas district. It is an island in the Sundarbans and very close to the Bangladesh border. It is reachable only by waterway.
Sandeshkhali is about 75 km. from Kolkata. It has been roiled by protests since 8th February 2024 pushing the state government in power on the defensive and charged with hundreds of village women armed with lathis, farming tools, and brooms that had hit the streets very recently.
The movement started after the personnel of the Enforcement Directorate were attacked by a mob organised by a local goon & political leader under the shelter of the government administration by the name Seikh Sahjahan. The mob brutally beat three ED officials. Literary after that shocking incident the ED officials flee away from the spot. Fifty-six days after that incident, the mastermind goon Seikh Sahjahan & his two close associates were arrested by CBI. By the order of the Kolkata High Court, all of them are now in jail custody for almost the last two months.
Following the arrest of Seikh Sahjahan the village women came out in the large and alleged systematic sexual exploitation by the local ruling party members headed by Seikh Sahjahan. The party men would come and survey a home that has beautiful wife & whose girl is young. Then they take the women to the party office night after night they would be kept there till they are satisfied alleged a woman in a video that has now gone viral. These activities continued from 2014 in the reign of the ruling party in power.
Allegations of systematic sexual exploitation & land grabbing against local ruling party leaders are emerging from Sandeshkhali in West Bengal where Seikh Sahjahan is a member of the local zila parishad & who is the prime culprit the tortured women alleged. Seokh Sahajahan & his gang established a reign of horror where the dignity and modesty of women belonging to the SC&ST communities have been repeatedly violated. They forcefully captured fertile lands belonging to the Janjatis and tribals.
After Seikh Sahjahan was taken into custody the tortured village women united together & started movement surrounding the local police station Nazot with spontaneous agitation. A report says section 144 of the CrPC was imposed in some parts of Sandeshkhali owing to the recent protests by the locals mainly women armed with lathis against the exploitation by Sikh Sahjahan and his close associates.
Villagers alleged that the police turned a blind eye to their complaints against the local ruling party leaders. The DG of West Bengal police said, ”We came to know that a woman made a statement under section 164 of CrPC before a judicial magistrate. We have added IPC to the section and we will bring all perpetrators to the book whoever he is.”
The matter was so serious that the present Governor of West Bengal also went to Sandeshkhali & spoke personally with women protestors. Presently Sandeshkhali has been at the centre of a political storm for more than a month and has witnessed unprecedented protests over allegations of sexual abuse by a number of women against Seikh Sahjahan and his gang.
Since January a small Indian island close to the Bangladesh border has been in the spotlight after a political storm broke out over allegations of corruption & sexual assault against the local leader. Locals in Sandeshkhali have accused Seikh Sahjahan a member of the party in power inclusive of other local politicians of illegally seizing their lands & sexually assaulting several women in the area.
Protests demanding their arrests have been raging for more than one & half months. At least two women have also lodged complaints with the police, magistrate & the National Women’s Commission alleging they were raped by the same devil gang.
Two of Seikh Sahjahan’s aides -Shibaprasad Hazra & Uttam Sardar were arrested first on the charges of gang rape, sexual assault, and attempt to murder. Although as usual, they denied the allegations.
Now the case has dominated headlines in India & globally in recent times & has sparked a political storm with two heavyweights the Indian Prime Minister and firebrand West Bengal Chief minister locking horns over the allegations.
Protests against Seikh Sahjahan began in January when India’s financial crimes agency the ED attempted to question him in connection with corruption related to the Ration Scam allegations.The case involved the former state minister of West Bengal Mr.Jotipriya Mallick. He was arrested in October for allegedly diverting foods from the public food distribution system means rationing networks to private parties.
With Seikh Sahjahan gone from the village, a few women gathered to protest against him for terrorising them over the past decade. Villagers have also accused Seikh Sahjahan of amassing huge wealth including three houses, commercial fish ponds, supermarkets, and large swathes of land by illegally encroaching on land owned by them.
Since the allegations came to light several villagers in Sandeshkhali have reportedly reclaimed their properties after the West Bengal government started the process of returning their land to them.
Now Sandeshkhali remains a political flash point even the communist parties have staged protests against the ruling party for allegedly continuing support to Seikh Sahjahan.