West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury faced police obstruction on Friday while on route to the turbulent Sandeshkhali area, where protests erupted over alleged TMC leader atrocities against villagers, citing prohibitory orders.
Chowdhury’s Congress delegation encountered resistance from police officials at Sarberia and later at Rampur, en route to Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district. Authorities cited Section 144 of the CrPC as grounds for denying entry.
Chowdhury criticized the Mamata Banerjee-led government, accusing it of politicizing the situation. He questioned the rationale behind barring opposition access, leading to a sit-in protest with Congress workers.
Chowdhury condemned Banerjee’s purported “communalizing” of the issue, asserting that the incidents in Sandeshkhali were a matter of shame and should not be given a communal narrative.
The BJP and NCW accused the TMC and the state government of involvement in crimes against women in Sandeshkhali. Chowdhury questioned Banerjee’s allegation of RSS involvement in the violence, emphasizing the TMC’s responsibility for the RSS’s expanded influence in the state.
Earlier, a delegation of BJP MPs, including two Union ministers, was also barred from visiting Sandeshkhali due to prohibitory orders.
Protests in Sandeshkhali continued for the eighth consecutive day, with female demonstrators demanding the arrest of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his associates.