Sandeshkhali: Let the truth come out

Nestled on the banks of the river Kalindi, the little hamlet of Sandeshkhali in West Bengal has suddenly garnered national attention after media reports that the women of the village had been ‘exploited’ by local Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongmen led by their leader Shajahan Sheikh.

National television channels have been telecasting visuals of women making various allegations though the charges of sexual abuse are reportedly yet to be proved.

What has come in handy for the ruling BJP at the Centre to blow up the alleged excesses, is the fact that Bengal is ruled by Mamata Banerjee, who has time and again cocked a snook at the saffronists for their attempts to browbeat Opposition ruled states including Bengal into submission.

With the Lok Sabha polls just two months away and all indicators pointing to another sweep by the TMC in the state which has a full 42 seats, the BJP and its allies are rubbing their hands in glee hoping that Sandeshkhali would prove to be a turning point.

What triggered the Sandeshkhali controversy was the raid by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Shajahan as part of its investigation into a ration distribution scam.

The TMC leader has since then gone missing, probably to evade any attempt to detain him.

Soon after the Shajahan-ED faceoff, women of the area reportedly started voicing their grievances against him narrating how they were forced to visit the TMC office at odd hours and made to do menial jobs; and how their husbands were beaten up if they refused to fall in line.

Whether there is any truth in the charges is something which has to be verified through an impartial inquiry; and till then, any sinister attempt to draw political capital from the controversy, should be avoided at any cost.

A troubling question however arises: What is preventing the West Bengal police from bringing Shajahan in to face legal proceedings.

On Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court expressed surprise that the main accused at the ‘core’ of the Sandeshkhali issue, has not been arrested by the police so far, and said it does not know "whether he is being protected".

It also allowed BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari to visit the village after he was earlier stopped by the cops, "If one person can hold the entire population to ransom, then that person should not be encouraged by the ruling dispensation," the court observed in what seemed to be a remark directed at the Mamata government.

The bench said that there is material to show that Shajahan has done damage to the public, instead of doing good as an elected representative.

In fact, a single bench of Justice Apurba Sinha Roy had on February 12 taken suo motu cognisance of allegations of sexual assault at gunpoint and forcible taking away of tribal land.

‘Political power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely’ and that seems to sum up the situation in Sandeshkhali where a few leaders have allegedly taken advantage of the innocence of the rural populace to make sure their writ runs unhindered.

It is high time Mamata, who has weathered many a political storm in her illustrious career, ordered a full-fledged and unbiased probe to make sure parties like the BJP do not fish in troubled waters and add to the embarrassment the TMC is facing because of the episode.

The truth has to emerge and the guilty should be handed out exemplary punishment so that the fair name of Bengal is not tainted by such allegations.

That is the best way to make sure those trying to milk this episode for their selfish ends, are foiled at every step.