Sandeshkhali, Shahjahan's arrest and its political ramifications

The accusations by the women of Sandeshkhali of being sexually assaulted at the TMC party office were too shocking and damming for Mamata not to take cognisance and act upon it. The women of Sandeshkhali wanted the land that had been taken away from them, and they wanted their "dignity back".

Massive protests over a month

Sandeshkhali, situated on the fringes of the Sundarbans and approximately 100 km from Kolkata, has been the epicenter of massive protests for over a month, particularly among women seeking redress for purported abuses by Sheikh Shahjahan and his associates. Shahjahan and his men went into hiding after a violent brush with Enforcement Directorate officials on January 5.

There was enough “incontrovertible evidence” of TMC leaders, led by Shahjahan and his associates, subjecting Sandeshkhali villagers to a reign of terror. The local police too had allegedly colluded with the "notorious" Shahjahan and his cronies but they finally failed to contend with the festering anger of local women.

According to reports, despite multiple cases against him, including extortion, assault, and murder, Shahjahan, a former labourer and vegetable vendor turned politician, evaded prosecution. He became so powerful in the area that he even named a market after him. He would frequently run off to Bangladesh to avoid arrest. In 2020, he was accused of a double murder of two BJP leaders but managed to disappear without a trace.

In fact, the Calcutta high court's observations did not help Mamata's government defense for not arresting Shahjahan even after he had been on the run for 55 days.

The court said that it is "surprising to note that incidents in the area were reported to state police four years ago and that it has taken four years for the cases to mature into 42 chargesheets." 43 FIRs were registered against Shahjahan until December of the previous year.

Interestingly, the TMC, at first, tried to dismiss the allegations, saying Shahjahan was a “misunderstood social worker” wrongly targeted by the Enforcement Directorate and the BJP. They even asked women alleging molestation and rape by him and his associates to produce videographic evidence and also to prove they were locals and not outsiders.

Women voter base

As the Sandeshkhali episode started to get bigger, TMC finally caved in. Mamata did not want to lose her key women voter base in the upcoming national elections. The massive support of women voters had proved critical in securing TMC's victory in May 2021. Mamata's carefully constructed image of being a single woman completely committed to political activism, a “street-fighter” who is a caring leader of the people and a supporter of women, was also under threat of being dented.

Two of Shahjahan’s close associates and TMC local leaders Shibaprasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar were first arrested by the Bengal police. And, Sheikh Shahjahan was finally arrested on February 29 in Minakhan, North 24 Parganas district, after evading capture by both state and central agencies for more than a month.

Course correction

Besides cracking the whip on the erring party leaders, the administration also started the process of returning the land that the three TMC leaders had allegedly acquired forcefully from several villagers.

The arrest is seen as a part of the course correction drive launched by the TMC government to quell the women-led uprising in Sandeshkhali.

The TMC initially set up special camps to register complaints of sexual assault and other crimes allegedly committed by ruling party members in the area.

The measures failed to douse the public anger as their main demand was the immediate arrest of prime accused Shahjahan. The local police and the civil administration were instructed to arrest the tyrants on the strength of first information reports and, where possible, return the lands that had been forcibly captured from local farmers and turned into prawn farms.

LS Elections, BJP takes advantage

With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections around the corner, Mamata desperately wanted to take the attention away from Sandeshkhali and, in particular, the exploitation of women by local TMC leaders.

The BJP, too, seized the public anger to mount a scathing attack on Mamata Banerjee’s government. The saffron party is pulling out all stops to build up a mass movement akin to one seen over land acquisitions for industrial purpose by the erstwhile Left Front government in Nandigram and Singur in 2006-07. The movement led to the downfall of the 34-year-long Left Front regime in the state.

In the Sandeshkhali situation, it is some “criminal elements” linked to the ruling party who grabbed land for their personal gain, unlike in Nandigram and Singur, where the land was acquired by the state for public cause. But the BJP is sensing the possibility of building a similar movement around Sandeshkhali.

The BJP feels Sandeshkhali has dented Mamata Banerjee’s women friendly image built through a slew of welfare schemes related to women empowerment.

BJP scales up attack

To scale up its Sandeshkhali-centric agitation, the BJP has scheduled a public rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 6 at Barasat, the headquarters of North 24 Parganas district in which Sandeshkhali falls. He is likely to meet women victims of Sandeshkhali, said BJP state president Sukanta Mazumdar.

TMC counters BJP’s strategy

The TMC hopes that Shahjahan's arrest will take the wind out of the BJP’s Sandeshkhali political strategy. According to TMC MP, Santanu Sen the arrest of Shahjahan is proof that the Mamata-led Bengal government follows 'rajdharma' in an administrative manner. "We had taken action against Partha Chatterjee and Jyotipriya Mallick, and similarly, we have taken action against Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar and now Sheikh Shahjahan has been arrested," said Sen.

"Accused leaders openly move in BJP-ruled states, and on the other side, our administration doesn't spare accused TMC leaders if there is evidence against them. BJP should learn 'rajdharma' from the TMC," he added.

Fallout for TMC

However, the arrest of Shahjahan is bound to have repercussions for the TMC politically, said reports. This arrest may cause criminal dons loyal to the TMC to rethink.

There was a strong network of crime and terror that was at work in Sandeshkhali that came apart with the protests. This crackdown on Shajahan and his associates may make some dons review their options before the general elections, said media reports. Shahjahan, who is currently the TMC block president in Sandeshkhali, played a crucial role in Trinamool's victory in the last panchayat poll and served as the party convenor in the 2021 elections for Sandeshkhali.

Massive rally

To deflect attention from the embarrassment caused to her by Sandeshkhali, Mamata is flagging of a massive rally scheduled for March 10 called the Jonogorjon (roar of the people). This is to counter the saffron party’s “Bangla-birodhi (anti-Bengal)” propaganda allegedly aimed at maligning the state. The TMC will use the rally to rouse the people, particularly the beneficiaries of the 100-day job scheme, who could not get their rightful dues because of the suspension of funds by the Centre.