Ch’garh CM writes to Mamata

Sandeshkhali: Urges for her intervention

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, on Tuesday, wrote to his Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, requesting her intervention in the Sandeshkhali issue and immediate action against culprits. He also urged Banerjee to take legal action against “criminals” like Shahjahan and Sirajuddin (Shahjahan’s brother) along with their political protectors.

“Being the chief minister of West Bengal, it is expected that you will intervene strongly and give instructions for immediate action and give strict punishment to the culprits. I urge you to take legal action against criminals like Shahjahan and Sirajuddin (Shahjahan’s brother) along with their political protectors,” he wrote.

In his letter, Sai condemned the situation in Sandeshkhali where several tribal women have alleged sexual assault while others have complained of landgrabbing. Sai, who hails from a tribal community, urged Banerjee to take stringent action against the perpetrators. Reacting to the letter, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh advised Deo to “oil his own machine”. He said: “You know nothing of Sandeshkhali so you should oil your own machine,“Ghosh said. Talking about Bengal’s cultural richness, Sai said the movement for women’s empowerment started in Bengal province and prominent spiritual leaders, freedom fighters and social reformers such as Swami Vivekananda, Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee belonged from the state.