Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, organized a protest march on Saturday alongside BJP MLAs to voice their concerns regarding the outbreak of violence in Sandeshkhali. Their objective was to deliver a memorandum urging Governor CV Ananda Bose to promptly address the situation. Commencing from the Assembly, the march proceeded towards Raj Bhavan in Kolkata.
Upon reaching Raj Bhavan, Adhikari was informed of the Governor's absence. Despite this, he proceeded to hand over the memorandum to a designated officer on special duty.
The unrest in Sandeshkhali stemmed from an incident on Friday, where locals set ablaze the poultry farm belonging to Sheikh Shajahan, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader who has been evading authorities since last month following an altercation between a mob and an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team.
Following the turmoil, authorities imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and suspended internet services in the affected area.
Expressing his dissatisfaction, Adhikari tore copies of the Section 144 order as he exited Raj Bhavan on Saturday. He emphasized that Governor Bose has until Sunday to rescind the prohibitory orders in Sandeshkhali.
"We have granted the Governor time until Sunday to revoke the Section 144 order in Sandeshkhali. Our party members are facing arrests under the surveillance of the West Bengal Police. Since the Governor was unavailable, we have forwarded our communication to him, urging intervention," stated Adhikari.
He further asserted that they will await the Governor's response and, failing action, Adhikari, accompanied by all BJP MLAs, intends to march from the Assembly to Sandeshkhali on Monday.
In his critique of the ruling Trinamool Congress, Adhikari labeled it as a "rapist party," holding it solely responsible for the ongoing violence.
