Sandeshkhali unrest: Section 144 imposed near Basirhat SP office due to BJP protest

Kolkata, Feb 13 (PTI) Prohibitory orders were clamped on Tuesday in the vicinity of the SP’s office in West Bengal’s Basirhat in view of a proposed agitation programme by the BJP over allegations of sexual harassment by women in Sandeshkhali block. The orders were enforced under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) from 6 am and 6 pm to maintain law and order, officials said.

A large number of police personnel have also been deployed outside the SP’s office in Basirhat to prevent any untoward incident, they said.

Sandeshkhali is under the purview of the Basirhat police district.

The state BJP had announced its leaders will gherao the SP office on Tuesday in protest against the situation in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district.

Women in Sandeshkhali have been agitating for the last few days over alleged atrocities against them by TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his aides. The protesters claim that Sheikh and his "gang" captured swathes of land by force, besides sexually harassing women in the area.

Sheikh, who has been absconding since last month after a team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that went to raid his house in Sandeshkhali in connection with a ration scam, was attacked by a mob.

On Monday, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and several other MLAs of the party were stopped from visiting Sandeshkhali. A Congress delegation, too, has reportedly been prevented from visiting the trouble-torn area on Tuesday. PTI