As March comes to an end, the focus in India has shifted towards the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Political parties are campaigning hard to win votes, selecting deserving candidates, and making new promises. However, in West Bengal, a different kind of situation is unfolding. Something so heinous and gruesome that it has become a topic of discussion even in the national media. The name of the place, previously unknown to many, has now become a topic of discussion across the country. Even the citizen of this state is now witnessing a darker side of their ruling party. Even the chief minister herself is trying to avoid this ongoing wildfire.

Sandeshkhali is an island, located in the Bashirhat sub-division of North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal. This island is spread over an area of 182.30 square kilometers. If the whole map of West Bengal is taken into consideration then this island will constitute a very small place, not far from the Sundarbans. It may come as a surprise to many that recent events on this secluded island have brought it into the national spotlight. As per the data of the National Crime Records Bureau, Kolkata has been badged as the ‘safest city for women in India’ for three consecutive years. But an island that is only 76 kilometers (approximately) away from Kolkata is depicting a different scenario. The chilling tales being recounted by the inhabitants of that island might seem like they're ripped straight from a horror movie. It's a stark reminder of how important it is to listen to those who have experienced trauma and to take their stories seriously.

It's worth noting that the incidents that gained widespread attention on January 5th, 2024, had been in motion since 2011. On January 5th, a team comprising officers of the Enforcement Directorate and several armed central forces arrived in Sandeshkhali to conduct a raid on the house of Sheikh Shahjahan, a well-known minister of Trinamool Congress (TMC). He was accused of involvement in a scam related to the ration distribution that amounted to crores of rupees. During the raid, the officers were not only stopped from entering the house of the minister but were attacked, injuring three officers, and were forced to flee by the goons of the minister. Underneath all this chaos, Shahjahan became ‘untraceable’. But the residents, especially the women, of Sandeshkhali took this as an opportunity to come out of the nightmare that they were living in. to be precise, the women were the reason that brought Sandeshkhali to the limelight. Every corner, every street of Sandeshkhali started filling with protesting women and men. The violence came in as people started burning down the poultry farms, the fisheries that belonged to the TMC leader. They even attacked the house that belonged to the leader. This growing rage finally attracted the focus of various media channels, activists, and finally the political parties. The police of that region, who decided to remain quiet till then, suddenly sprang to action and imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Court. But imposing such a section turned out to be of no use as the inhabitants were now determined to stand up for themselves. Allegations of land grabbing, extortion, sexual harassment, and gang rape began to surface. People from the National Commission for Women, the National Human Rights Commission etcetera started visiting the place one by one to listen to the words of the victims. Even people from opposition parties tried their best to listen to the pains of the victims but they were stopped from entering the village by the police.

As per the villagers, Shahjahan, along with his two associates, Uttam Sardar and Shibu Hazra, were involved in all sorts of misdeeds. Taking up farming lands and filling them with saline water to make it not-fit for farming, and converting them into fisheries were their main crime. Women of Sandeshkhali were leading a life of ultimate terror. According to them, the beautiful women of the village were forcibly taken to the TMC party office and were kept captive for the whole night or even for two to three days. Moreover, the newly-wed brides were gang-raped at gunpoint. Children were taken from schools and converted into goons. Women who refused to follow the leaders were threatened. The hard-earned money of the poor was forcibly taken from them. Some people even left everything behind and fled the village. The poor, helpless villagers even claimed that Shahjahan never left Sandeshkhali and was kept under police protection.

Now, moving on to those incidents that display the end of democracy. On one hand, the victims are coming out to speak about the inhumane behaviors that they faced. On the other hand, the chief minister of the state and her other ministers are in a state of complete denial. In one of her statements, the chief minister stated that “everything that is happening in Sandeshkhali is all planned by the Enforcement Directorate and the Opposition”. Moreover, she also claimed that all the cases of sexual harassment were fake. Another incident that can make anybody question the democracy in the state is that the opposition parties claimed that their candidates were being stopped from participating in the elections. The women of that place stated that they were not allowed to vote. The police of that place never registered any complaints against those TMC leaders. So now the question may genuinely arise, “Where is democracy?” The opposition parties also started taking advantage of the whole situation. They started giving this case a communal angle. According to them, the Hindu women of Sandeshkhali were particularly targeted.

The terrors of Sandeshkhali still haven’t stopped even after the active presence of police as the houses of those who dared to speak up are still under attack. Political parties are doing nothing apart from blaming each other. The High Court took in the case and removed Section 144 from the place. Police were forced to register FIRs and soon the associates of Shahjahan were taken into custody. The High Court also ordered the case transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This put the ruling party in a state of extreme discomfort and they challenged the High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court. But this time, the ball was not in their cot, and the Supreme Court rejected their petition straight away. But even after all this, the people of Sandeshkhali are still under terror. They are afraid of the situations they have to face after everyone turns their backs once again.

This case is taking new turns every day. Every day, a new set of misdeeds of Sheikh Shahjahan is floating up to the surface. People of a country have faith in their justice system. People believe that there are more places like Sandeshkhali in this state that are yet to be brought out in the broad daylight. Police must function independently and make themselves easily accessible to people. But this case completely shatters one’s ideology of democracy. Where the government’s job is to keep the state and country free from any corruption, the leaders in this case are spreading terror and corruption. Those helpless inhabitants are still hoping for justice hardly they know that getting justice in this country is quite difficult. The ruling party of West Bengal mainly consists of uneducated, illiterate, and actors/actresses as their ministers. So expecting justice and support from them would be the most foolish thing to do. Democracy gives people the right to speak, and the right to stand up for themselves, but it should also be kept in mind that a bad choice and take all these rights away. India is a country where only a few political parties have made their holds and now they won’t let anyone form a new political party against them. Hence, the only thing that is keeping the people going is the hope that soon everything will change for the better.    

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