Kolkata, Dec 29 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be making a trip on Monday to Sandeshkhali, a conglomeration of islands in North 24 Parganas district, after avoiding such initiatives during the entire period of crisis there earlier this year, following allegations of sexual harassment of local women and land grabbing of people by her party member and local leader, Sheikh Shahjahan.
On December 26, the Chief Minister announced that she would be going there to attend an official programme on December 30 and hand over documents of public services to 100 beneficiaries there.
“On Monday, a total of 20,000 individuals will be handed over such papers from different camps established there on that day,” Banerjee said.
Doubts were raised from different quarters, including the opposition parties in the state, as to why the Chief Minister was avoiding a visit to Sandeshkhali while it witnessed violence earlier this year, following a protest by local women there against sexual harassment and land grabbing.
Political observers feel that the Chief Minister’s visit to Sandeshkhali on Monday is significant as she is expected to make important announcements from there on that day.
In January this year, Sandeshkhali for the first time hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons as a group of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and their escorting central armed forces personnel (CAPF) personnel attempted a raid and search operations at the residence of Sheikh Shahjahan in connection with the multi-core ration distribution case in West Bengal.
Shortly after that, when the entire focus of the media and central agencies was shifted over to Sandeshkhali, the local people whose land was allegedly grabbed by Shahahjan and his associates and the women becoming victims of sexual harassment by them came out on the streets protesting on the issue.
Shahjahan is currently in judicial custody.
–IANS
src/pgh
