Bengal DGP visits Sandeshkhali; visits troubled spots, briefs forces

West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar visited Sandeshkhali on Wednesday afternoon and assessed the situation in the area, which has been marked by protests following allegations of sexual abuse of women by TMC leaders.In his first visit to the area since the protests began earlier this month, Kumar held meetings with ADG South Bengal Supratim Sarkar, Basirhat Police District SP Hasan Mehedi Rehman and several other police officers before visiting adjoining islands of Situlia, Sardarpara, Manipur in the evening to understand the situation there, a source said.Kumar is expected to stay overnight there, he added.

West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar visited Sandeshkhali on Wednesday afternoon and assessed the situation in the area, which has been marked by protests following allegations of sexual abuse of women by TMC leaders.

In his first visit to the area since the protests began earlier this month, Kumar held meetings with ADG South Bengal Supratim Sarkar, Basirhat Police District SP Hasan Mehedi Rehman and several other police officers before visiting adjoining islands of Situlia, Sardarpara, Manipur in the evening to understand the situation there, a source said.

Kumar is expected to stay overnight there, he added. Amid ongoing tensions in Sandeshkhali, police maintained a strong presence as normalcy struggled to return to the area. A large number of women in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district had accused Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of ''land-grab and sexually assault''. Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly affiliated to him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his premises in connection with a ration scam on January 5.

Meanwhile, police on Wednesday registered a second gangrape case against the three prime accused -- Shajahan Sheikh, Uttam Sarder and Sibaprasad Hazra -after a victim woman recorded her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a magistrate, he added.

The trio has been booked under IPC sections 376D (gangrape), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

One such case was registered earlier.

The protesting women in Sandeshkhali alleged that Shajahan and his ''gang'' including Hazra and Sardar captured swathes of land by force, besides sexually harassing them.

Shajahan's supporters had also protestes, further adding to the tension following which prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC were clamped in pockets across seven villages in Sandeshkhali block-II.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)