The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday set aside the West Bengal government’s decision to impose prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC at Sandeshkhali, in the State’s North 24 Parganas area.
The block about 100 Km from Kolkata in the Sundarbans area has been on the boil over allegations of molestation of women allegedly by the local Trinamool Congress leadership. Justice Jay Sengupta of the Calcutta High Court set aside the promulgation of Section 144 of Cr.P.C by the district administration at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, holding that the manner in which it was done was not right.
Curtailing rights
The district administration has not allowed leaders from Opposition parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India ( Marxist) to visit Sandeshkhali. Counsel for the petitioners claimed that Section 144 was imposed to curtail the rights of people to protest, whereas the State government’s counsel opposed the prayer claiming that the violence was perpetrated by agitators.
Another bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday took suo motu cognisance of allegations of sexual assault on women and transfer of tribal land there and directed issuance of notice to the state authorities.
Justice Apurba Sinha Roy said that he was “very disturbed” at the happenings at Sandeshkhali. The Court directed the Registrar General of the High Court to issue notice to the State government, the Inspector General of police, the DIG of Barasat range, the Superintendent of Police and the Dstrict magistrate of North 24 Parganas district. The matter will come up for hearing on February 20, the Court directed. Justice Sinha Roy appointed advocate Jayanta Narayan Chatterjee as the amicus curiae to assist the court in the matter.
Meanwhile, there were protests at various places in West Bengal on the Sandeshkhali issue and at many places the protest turned violent. The BJP had called for gherao of the Superintendent of Police’s office in Basirhat.
Lawless state
Clashes broke out between police personnel and BJP supporters outside the SP office. The protests were led by State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar. Mr. Majumdar said that BJP supporters were targeted by the police and illegally detained.
“This is a lawless situation. The state government is trying to hide the truth,” Mr. Majumdar claimed.
Protests at Baharampur in Murshidabad also turned violent, and Congress supporters clashed with the police. The police employed tear gas shells and a baton charge was ordered against the mob. Supporters of the CPI(M) also held protests at various places. In Kolkata, civil rights organisation and women activists held protests against the Sandeshkhali incident.
A Trinamool Congress delegation led by the Irrigation Minister Partha Bhowmick reached Sandeshkhali on Tuesday afternoon and spoke to the locals. This is the first time that the Trinamool leadership has reached out to locals. Public anger has been mounting against the party over protests in Sandeshkhali.
