‘What I saw was ghastly shocking...’: Bengal Governor on meeting women in Sandeshkhali

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Monday visited the troubled region of Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, where he met with women protesters who had alleged sexual harassment and torture by TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his associates. 

The governor was deeply affected by the testimonies of the women, who tied rakhis on his wrist as a symbol of seeking protection and justice. He described the situation as "ghastly, shocking, shattering to my senses," expressing disbelief that such atrocities could occur in the land of Rabindranath Tagore.

" What I saw was ghastly shocking, shattering to my senses. I saw something which I should never have seen. I heard many things which I should never have heard. If you have tears, this is the time to shed those tears... That how horrible human life is, where the law cannot take its course...When I listened to my mothers and sisters there...Imagine a happy home, husband and wife, grown-up children including girl children,” Bose said.

“Some goons come from inside the house, catch hold of the girl child, assault the wife in front of the husband and beat up the husband...This is no fiction. This is what I was told happened in this village in the last few days. They know who did this... This can never happen. We should fight it out under the Constitution. I will fight it out under the Constitution. I will fight it out within the laws of the land. I will fight it out with the democratically elected government of the state. Certainly, we will spare no efforts to see that the guilty are punished..," he further added.

Governor Bose assured the women of his support and vowed to fight for their cause within the limits of his constitutional powers and the laws of the land. He encouraged them not to worry and promised that they would receive justice. During his visit, Bose also convened a meeting with senior police officers to assess the situation and instructed them to take immediate and strict measures.

The governor's visit was preceded by concerns from senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh, who feared that Bose might be shown black flags, recalling similar incidents faced by his predecessor. However, the police maintained that the area was peaceful and that law and order would be upheld.

Governor Bose had interrupted his trip to Kerala to address the situation in Sandeshkhali personally, stating his intent to understand the real message from the lanes of the area. 

"I am going to Sandeskhali as I want to see for myself what the real sandesh (message) from the gullies (lanes) of Sandeshkhali are," Bose said after landing at the Kolkata airport this morning.

During the day, Dilip Ghosh, a senior BJP leader, voiced concerns about whether the Governor would be permitted to visit the troubled areas of Sandeshkhali to assess the situation.

"He (Governor) is a sensitive man and knows that people are being tortured there. I fear he may be shown black flags. His predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar faced several such incidents," Ghosh said.

The police affirmed that the current situation in Sandeshkhali is "peaceful," and strict measures will be taken to prevent any disruption to law and order.

"Now, no untoward incident has been reported. We will not allow anybody to disrupt the law and order situation and will take strict action against those who violate the law," PTI quoted a senior police officer as saying.

Section 144 CrPC has been implemented in Sandeshkhali, imposing prohibitory orders to maintain peace and order in the region.

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