Prime Minister Modi To Visit Sandeshkhali: Unrest Over Allegations Of Sexual Violence By TMC Leaders

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is anticipated to visit West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district to meet with women from Sandeshkhali who have accused TMC leaders of sexual violence, as stated by the state's Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari, in an exclusive interview with India Today TV, mentioned ongoing preparations for the Prime Minister's visit, with the final dates expected to be confirmed by the Prime Minister's Office. Sources suggest that the visit is scheduled for Barasat in North 24 Parganas on March 7. In parallel, Suvendu Adhikari, granted permission by the Calcutta High Court, plans to visit Sandeshkhali along with several MLAs on Tuesday, after facing police restrictions in the past week.

The BJP's state unit criticized the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the Sandeshkhali issue, alleging mistreatment of Hindu women. BJP MP Locket Chatterjee claimed that houses of women who spoke out about sexual assault were being looted, addressing a press conference in Delhi. Chatterjee's statement followed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remarks on the unrest in Sandeshkhali, where she suggested that the incident was orchestrated by the BJP in collaboration with the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The unrest in the village began over a month ago when an ED team en route to raid TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan was attacked. Subsequently, Shahjahan went into hiding as the probe agency conducted raids on his house in Sandeskhali in connection with an alleged scam in the public distribution system. In Shahjahan's absence, multiple women from the village came forward with allegations of systemic sexual exploitation and land grabbing against him and his associates. As a result, two TMC leaders, Shibaprasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar, close aides of Sheikh Shahjahan, were arrested on gang rape charges after complaints were filed by women from the village.