Bengal Police Says Amit Malviya's 'Forced Detention' Of Sandeshkhali Women Claim Is False

BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya on Thursday slammed West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee government over the sexual exploitation incident that happened in Sandeshkhali. Sharing a video post on the microblogging site X, formerly known as Twitter, Malviya said women in Sandeshkhali who had lodged complaints against TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh were forcefully detained by the police.

Contrary to Malviya's assertion, the Bengal Police refuted the allegation, clarifying that the woman depicted in the video was summoned in connection with a separate case.

"Women of Sandeshkhali, who complained about the tyranny of Shahjahan Sheikh and his men in the region, before the media and the Governor, have been forcibly taken away by WB Police. We have all the details and will ensure they get legal protection. But where is Mamata Banerjee? Why is she hiding behind WB police? The otherwise voluble Mamata has gone silent," Amit Malviya said in his post.

According to the reports, TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his allies allegedly captured swathes of land by force, and allegedly sexually harassed a large number of women in Sandeshkhali.

Meanwhile, taking cognizance of the heinous crime, the West Bengal CM has ordered to form a 10-member committee headed by a woman DSP to investigate the matter.

The reports said Sheikh is absconding since a team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided his house last month in relation to a ration scam. At that time, ED sleuths were attacked by a mob.

Responding to Malviya's allegations that Bengal police forcefully detained the victims and protesters, the Bengal Police junked all the claims tagging it as a "falsehood" spread by the BJP leader.

"Falsehood at its most shameful! A video was posted today by Amit Malviya, claiming that a few women from Sandeshkhali have been forcibly taken away by the police. Nothing can be farther from truth," the Bengal Police said.