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One of the victims of physical atrocities in Sandeshkhali files fresh rape attempt complaint

Incident has sparked fresh tension in Sandeshkhali with BJP accusing TMC of unleashing fresh terror by intimidating 'victims' to withdraw complaints of atrocities against arrested leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his close aides

Subhasish Chaudhuri Calcutta Published 17.05.24, 11:21 AM
Representational image

Representational image File picture

One of the victims of physical atrocities in Sandeshkhali filed a rape attempt complaint on Thursday against three unidentified goons in Majherpara village of the troubled North 24-Parganas island.

Alleging that the incident took place late on Wednesday night, she said she failed to identify the goons "because of darkness". However, she accused two local Trinamool leaders of conspiracy as she said she heard them speaking over the phone with the youths.

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The incident has sparked fresh tension in Sandeshkhali with the BJP accusing Trinamool of unleashing fresh terror by intimidating "victims" to withdraw complaints of atrocities against arrested leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his close aides.

Women in Bermajur Battala area on Thursday staged a demonstration condemning the rape attempt while accusing the police and Trinamool leadership of unleashing terror on the island.

The BJP's Sandeshkhali candidate Rekha Patra rushed to the spot and broke down in tears to see the traumatised young homemaker and took her to police station.

Police have begun a probe against the unidentified goons and the two suspected Trinamool leaders. However, till Thursday evening no one was arrested.

The woman on Thursday morning was taken to the Basirhat court where a magistrate recorded her statement.

The woman said on Wednesday night when she came out of her home to disperse a group of dogs, three persons gagged her, dragged near a deserted bheri, and tried to rape her.

"But as my daughter started to cry, it alerted other people and the youths fled, leaving me behind. Before they fled, they asked me to withdraw my complaint and threatened me with dire consequences if I refused," the woman told reporters on Thursday.

"I heard them taking instructions from Trinamool leaders.... It appeared they were behind the conspiracy," she added.

On Thursday, Patra repeated her claim that Trinamool had hatched a conspiracy to prove that the earlier rape complaints of Sandeshkhali women against local Trinamool leaders and their aides were fake.

"The truth will come out soon," she told the media.

Trinamool's Basirhat town committee president Abhijit Ghosh refuted the BJP's allegation and said the party was fomenting fresh tension on the island for electoral gains.

"The BJP is now trying to stage the second part of the Sandeshkhali drama," Ghosh said.

Allegations of land-grab and sexual assault against local Trinamool leaders in Sandeshkhali, which falls under the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency, has become one of the most prominent rallying points of the Lok Sabha polls in Bengal both for the BJP and Trinamool.

Trinamool has alleged that the narrative of torture is scripted by the BJP before the polls, which a couple of purported sting videos have endorsed. The BJP has alleged that the videos are fake.

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