Videos suggest Sandeshkhali women were tricked into complaining of rape

The Trinamool Congress on Thursday, 9 May, accused the BJP of spreading falsehoods about the alleged instances of rape in Sandeshkhali, after several videos were produced—seemingly claiming that a local female BJP leader made multiple women sign blank papers, which were later filled up to become complaints of sexual assault against TMC leaders.

The allegation was levelled within three days of the TMC taking to social media to unveil a Sandeshkhali 'sting operation' video featuring local BJP leader Gangadhar Koyal, who claimed that the rape allegations were "staged" and the complaints were lodged at the behest of the leader of the opposition (LOP) in the state, the BJP's Suvendu Adhikari.

In a bid to reassert its claims, the TMC shared a fresh set of videos on Thursday, 9 May, of what the party claimed were women residents of Sandeshkhali alleging they were "manipulated" by the BJP into filing "false rape cases".

The TMC also shared a fresh video where the BJP's Basirhat candidate and one of the leading faces of the Sandeshkhali protests, Rekha Patra, was seen questioning the identity of the contingent of "Sandeshkhali victims" who were earlier taken to Delhi by the state BJP leaders to meet President Droupadi Murmu and to relate their ordeal.

On Wednesday, 8 May, the TMC had also alleged that BJP leaders were issuing death threats to women who had expressed their willingness to withdraw the complaints of rape.

PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of any of the tapes released so far.

Referring to the newly released videos, state minister and senior TMC leader Shashi Panja condemned the BJP for "perpetuating a false narrative on the Sandeshkhali sexual assaults" and threatening victims who sought to retract their police complaints.

"Sandeshkhali victims may have had a few complaints over land grab. But they never had complaints of sexual offence. This again proves that the BJP is spreading falsehood. This despicable act of fabrication and intimidation will not go unpunished," Panja said.

West Bengal LOP Suvendu Adhikari, on the other hand, dismissed the TMC's claims, alleging that the videos were fabricated by the 'bhaipo' (nephew), an oblique reference to TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee and the party's private poll-cum-political consultant, I-PAC, who "distributed money" to get the job done.

"We are soon moving court against both and will ensure they are taken to task for spreading such malicious lies," Adhikari said, while participating in a nomination filing rally of Rekha Patra at Basirhat.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP and party spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya told reporters that the more such videos surface, the higher would be the margin of votes for the BJP from the Sandeshkhali assembly segment, which is part of the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency.

Bhattacharya said the state administration itself had prepared a list of those whose plots of land had been taken away by TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh, who was arrested and later suspended by the party, and started the process of returning the disputed land.

So circulating one video after another now contradicts the state's move to set right the wrongs committed by the ruling party, he said.

Bhattacharya also said the BJP's Sandeshkhali mondal president, whose name figured in the purported video, requested the CBI to include the clipping in its probe.

LOP Adhikari claimed that people could see through the web of the TMC's deceit, and that Patra would gain a lead of 1.5 lakh votes from the Sandeshkhali region itself.

Meanwhile, In one of the latest videos, a woman was heard saying, "We were deceived into signing on blank papers. We discovered later that rape complaints had been lodged in our names. This is a blatant lie."

Another alleged Sandeshkhali resident echoed similar sentiments in a separate video, claiming that they have become victims of a scheme orchestrated by BJP leader Piyali Das.

According to information last received, Das has been summoned by the local police for questioning.

In the video which features Patra, the BJP candidate was heard seconding another woman standing next to her, who alleged that the victims who were taken to meet the President were arbitrarily chosen by local BJP leaders.

"Several oppressed women were taken to meet the President. We weren't part of that group. We had gone to meet the Prime Minister (in Barasat where he addressed a public meeting on 6 March). If not us, then who were these so-called oppressed women who met the President?" she asked.

"We have a right to know that if we were in Sandeskhali at that time, then who became our faces to meet the President?" Patra was heard adding.

Regarding this, Bhattacharya said hundreds of women had levelled charges of atrocities against TMC leaders from different islands of the area.

"It is clear that Patra did not know every one of them and this purported video must have been recorded before she was fielded as a candidate from Basirhat," he said.

The TMC, meanwhile, has moved the Election Commission, urging the poll body to initiate criminal proceedings against the BJP leaders concerned, including Adhikari, for 'orchestrating the conspiracy, including paying bribes to the women of Sandeshkhali to falsely raise complaints and attempting to influence central investigating agencies and other constitutional authorities'.