Violence erupts in Sandeshkhali again, women scuffle with police

In less than 24 hours after the election was over, trouble-torn Sandehkhali witnessed another round of skirmishes between women and the police on Sunday when the personnel went there and detained one person in connection with attacks on policemen.

Local women in Agarhati village in Sandeshkhali area got involved in a scuffle with the Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, fell tree trunks, and blocked roads when the police personnel reached there in search of a few persons accused of attacking them on Saturday night, a senior police officer said.

"We have not arrested anyone, but local women have started protesting. Some of our female colleagues are injured. We are trying to talk to them and remove the barricades from the roads," the officer in Basirhat Police District told PTI.

There was an attempt by local women to snatch the detained person, but the move was foiled, he said.

"We are trying to bring the situation under control. A huge number of RAF, Quick Response Team (QRT) and policemen are present here," the officer said.

Sandeshkhali -- a riverine delta bordering the Sundarbans -- has been on the boil since January 5, when a team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was attacked when it had gone to raid the premises of TMC strongman Shajahan Sheikh in connection with an alleged ration scam.

Sheikh and his accomplices were arrested by the West Bengal Police on February 29 in connection with the attack on the ED officers.

After the attack by a mob of around 1,000 people in which three ED officials were injured, a deputy director of the agency had given a complaint to the superintendent of police, Basirhat.