Viral video claims Sandeshkhali women protesters were paid ₹2,000 each
The controversy surrounding the violence in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal, does not appear to be going away anytime soon. A new video has now surfaced in which a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader is heard saying that over 70 women were paid ₹2,000 each to protest against local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides. Sheikh and his aides are facing sexual assault and land-grabbing charges. In the video, the man says that the rape allegations were "staged."
Second video alleges payment to women protesters
The man in the video, bearing resemblance to Sandeshkhali mandal president Gangadhar Kayal, was also heard saying women will form the front row, confronting the police. "We will need ₹ 2.5 lakh in cash for 50 booths where 30% of protesters would be women. We have to keep the SC, ST and OBC people...in an agreeable mood by paying them satisfactorily," Kayal said. The authenticity of the video, however, remains disputed.
Suvendu Adhikari behind the conspiracy: Kayal in another video
To recall, a similar controversy erupted last week after another video of Kayal surfaced, in which he was heard saying BJP leader "Suvendu Adhikari is behind the conspiracy" in Sandeshkhali. In the video, Kayl alleged that Adhikari had asked him and others to "instigate three...four local women to level allegations of rape against three TMC leaders, including Sheikh." He also said that "Adhikari...had planted guns at house in Sandeshkhali, which was later shown as the seizure by central agencies."
Rape charges withdrawn amid controversy
Amid the chaos, one of the three Sandeshkhali women withdrew her rape charges against TMC men on Wednesday. She claimed that she was forced by the BJP to sign blank papers and file a rape complaint. Following her decision to withdraw the allegedly false charges, she lodged a fresh complaint at Sandeshkhali police station, citing threats and social ostracism.
Women who withdrew their rape allegations allegedly threatened
Bengal's Minister for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, Shashi Panja, also claimed that women who have withdrawn their false rape allegations are being threatened by local BJP leaders.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."
