Sandeshkhali woman withdraws case against TMC men, alleges BJP coercion
One of the three women from Sandeshkhali, whose rape complaints against the Trinamool Congress's leaders had stirred unrest in the area of North Parganas district, West Bengal has withdrawn her allegations, The Times of India reported. The woman has now said that she wasn't sexually assaulted by the TMC leaders. She instead claimed that local Bharatiya Janata Party members forced her to sign a blank paper and file a complaint with the police.
Why does this story matter?
In February, Sandeshkhali became the latest flashpoint between the TMC and the opposition BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Behind this were former TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his supporters, who have been accused of sexually assaulting women and grabbing land. The BJP accused the TMC of protecting Sheikh after he evaded arrest for over a month. In response, the TMC—after suspending Sheikh—has demanded comparable action from the BJP against its members facing similar allegations.
Alleged coercion by BJP members
The woman has alleged that a local BJP Mahila Morcha functionary and other party members visited her home and asked her to sign the blank sheet. "They asked for my signature on...pretext of enlisting my name for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Later, they took me to...police station to lodge a sexual abuse complaint," she said. The woman filed a new complaint at Sandeshkhali police station, citing threats and social ostracism due to her withdrawal of the alleged false rape accusation.
TMC leaders condemn alleged BJP intimidation tactics
Meanwhile, Bengal's Minister for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, Shashi Panja, has also claimed that women who have withdrawn their false rape allegations are being threatened by local BJP leaders. "BJP had orchestrated the drama and now they are threatening the women, who had gone to withdraw false complaints," she said. TMC MP Sagarika Ghosh also commented on these developments, stating it was "disgusting that the BJP is threatening the women of Sandeshkhali."
TMC to file complaint against BJP leaders
Separately, the TMC plans to file a complaint with the Election Commission of India against Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP leaders. They allege that a purported video confession by a saffron party leader reveals that the rape allegations in the Sandeshkhali incident were fabricated. The video allegedly features Gangadhar Kayal, BJP mandal president in Sandeshkhali, stating that Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of opposition in the West Bengal assembly, was "behind the whole conspiracy."
