BJP’s Suvendu Adikari Barred From Visiting Bengal’s Sandeshkhali, Journalist Detained- Key Updates

On Tuesday, the police stopped BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari from going to the troubled Sandeshkhali area, saying there were rules against it. This happened because the government disagreed with a court order allowing him to visit. Later, Adhikari and BJP legislator Shankar Ghosh went to Sandeshkhali to talk to local people.

#WATCH | North 24 Parganas, West Bengal | BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and other party MLAs stage a protest against the police and state government after they were stopped by police from going to Sandeshkhali. pic.twitter.com/UI2xjxxuh7

— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2024

Here are the latest updates on the Sandeshkhali violence story:

1. The Calcutta High Court’s division bench granted permission to Suvendu Adhikari to visit Sandeshkhali village, where protests have erupted over allegations of sexual atrocities and land grabbing by certain leaders of the ruling TMC.
2. Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam, heading the division bench, declined to intervene in a previous ruling by a single bench that permitted Adhikari and another BJP MLA, Shankar Ghosh, to visit Sandeshkhali on the same day. The West Bengal government appealed to the division bench, contesting Monday’s decision made by Justice Kausik Chanda.
3. Earlier in the day, West Bengal police officials prevented BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and other party MLAs from going to the Sandeshkhali area, which has been witnessing unrest for over 10 days as women protestors seek justice against alleged atrocities committed by TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides.
4. Senior CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat was also stopped by police from going to Sandeshkhali, with authorities expressing concerns that her presence could escalate tension and lead to a breach of peace.
5. The Supreme Court observed that the Calcutta High Court has taken cognizance of the matter related to the alleged sexual assault in Sandeshkhali and refused to entertain a plea seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation or Special Investigation Team (SIT).
6. West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose met with the family members of four children who allegedly died after a mound of soil caved in during drainage expansion near the India-Bangladesh border in the Chopra area.
7. A journalist from a Bengali news channel covering events in Sandeshkhali was detained by the police on Monday night. Authorities stated that the journalist was arrested based on a complaint alleging trespassing into the home of a resident in the locality.

#WATCH | On the arrest of a journalist in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose says, “About the arrest of the journalist, I had given my opinion yesterday itself. I repeat it, I expect the government to take appropriate action effectively. No attempt at muzzling the… https://t.co/xb2ufBU5xN pic.twitter.com/T9uHHTVWVb

— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2024

8. CV Ananda Bose emphasized the importance of the government taking appropriate action in response to the journalist’s arrest, stating that no attempt at muzzling the press can be tolerated.

9. The Trinamool Congress alleges that four innocent children lost their lives in Uttar Dinajpur’s Chopra during an illegal drain expansion by the Border Security Force (BSF).

10. In Sandeshkhali, numerous women have accused Trinamool Congress figure Shajahan Sheikh and his followers of “land-grabbing” and coercive sexual assault. Shajahan Sheikh has reportedly been evading authorities since January 5, when a group linked to him assaulted officials from the Enforcement Directorate during a raid on his property in connection with a ration scam.