The National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma on Friday wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI), expressing concern over reports that several women in Sandeshkhali, who were sexually assaulted by associates of Sheikh Shahjahan, are being forced by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers to withdraw their complaints.
“The party workers are instilling fear among the women of Sandeshkhali to suppress the victims from coming forward with their complaints. potentially impacting the fairness of election process in the area,” the letter by the NCW stated.
In the letter, Sharma urged the election body to address the matter with priority, stating, “Ensure that women are not compelled to withdraw their complaints due to the threat from TMC workers.”
The NCW letter follows the announcement by the Trinamool Congress that it will lodge a formal complaint with the Election Commission against Sharma for “misusing her position” and “being one of the main instigators of the Sandeshkhali issue” after several women alleged that they were misled by local BJP leaders into filing sexual assault complaints against TMC leaders.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) had recommended President Droupadi Murmu to consider imposing President’s rule in West Bengal due to reported atrocities against women and violence in Sandeshkhali.
West Bengal minister and TMC spokesperson Shashi Panja alleged that the NCW chairperson acted with “political bias” regarding the Sandeshkhali allegations and “encouraged women in the area to make false accusations of sexual atrocities.”
On Thursday, the TMC shared multiple purported videos of women from Sandeshkhali, alleging that a local leader from the saffron party had made them sign blank papers, which were later filled out as complaints of sexual assault. The women in these videos claimed that they were instructed by local BJP worker Piyali Das to personally visit the local police station and recount their experiences to the NCW team, which had visited Sandeshkhali to assess the situation.
The women further alleged that they had never intended to file complaints of sexual assault but were surprised to discover such complaints filed in their names, allegedly as a result of the blank papers they were asked to sign by Das.
(With inputs from PTI)
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