Sandeshkhali violence: BSP chief Mayawati urges West Bengal govt to take action against culprits

LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Friday urged the Mamata Banerjee government to take 'strict action against the culprits. "The ongoing tension and violence in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal due to the recent incident of harassment of women etc.. is a matter of great concern," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister posted on X.

"The state government should be impartial in this matter and take strict legal action against the culprits so that such incidents do not recur," she added.

The women in Sandeshkhali have been up in arms over the last few days accusing fugitive TMC strongman Sheikh Shah Jahan and his henchmen of sexual abuse and other excesses.

Earlier, a six-member BJP delegation constituted by BJP national president JP Nadda was stopped by the state police from visiting Sandeshkhali. Faced with Opposition fury over the events in Sandeshkhali, CM Mamata on Thursday made it clear that she has never condoned 'injustice'.

Claiming a BJP-RSS hand in the violence, Mamata said she "needs to acquire full knowledge of the events" before deciding on the future course of action.

Accusing the RSS of inciting violence in the area, the CM said, "The RSS has a base in the area. There were riots here 7-8 years ago. The area is vulnerable to riots. We managed to enforce law and order during Saraswati Puja. They (BJP-RSS) had planned to foment trouble."