Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 6 met a group of women from Sandeshkhali, a village in West Bengal where accusations of sexual abuse involving Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders have surfaced.
During the meeting in Barasat, the five women, reportedly victims of the Sandeshkhali violence, raised concerns. They alleged that suspended TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan continues to threaten them.
The prime minister's discussions with these women took place after his public address at the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) "Nari Shakti Vandan" rally in Barasat town in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district amid the intensifying Sandeshkhali row in the state.
As the Sandeshkhali situation continues to create discomfort for the Mamata Banerjee government, women from the small village in the North 24 Parganas district flocked to Barasat town on March 6 to attend the prime minister's rally.
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Thousands of women marched from Sandeshkhali to Barasat to attend the rally. According to a PTI report, a bus carrying Sandeshkhali residents to Barasat was halted by the police, allegedly to prevent those who had experienced violence from meeting PM Modi.
Earlier, the BJP had announced that survivors of Sandeshkhali violence would be attending the rally. The party's state unit had pledged to arrange a meeting between the victims and Modi if they expressed a willingness to do so.
Before departing from Sandeshkhali to Barasat, the women had expressed their desire to meet the prime minister to seek justice and peace. One woman stated, "We are going to PM Modi to request him to ensure that we can vote, seek justice for atrocities against women, and promote peace".
Another woman informed that they wished to meet the PM to cast their votes in a peaceful environment, according to an ANI report. She added, "We want to live in peace. Individuals like Shibu Hazra, Sheikh Shahjahan, and Uttam Sardar should not return. We want to cast our votes independently."
Modi's third Bengal visit in a week comes at a time when the state police has landed in a legal tussle with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding Sandeshkhali main accused Sheikh Shahjahan's custody.
While the TMC government faces the heat for the Sandeshkhali violence in what can be seen as a setback weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the prime minister termed the Sandeshkhali incident as a "shame" for West Bengal.
The latest development comes after the Calcutta High Court ordered to transfer the investigation into the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Sandeshkhali on January 5 to the CBI. On March 6, the West Bengal government urgently appealed to the Supreme Court to expedite the hearing of its petition challenging the Calcutta HC directive.
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