Sandeshkhali violence: "We are being asked to show medical report to prove rape..", alleges protester

"...We are being asked to show medical report to prove rape... How can the women of the village come forward and say they have been raped? I have not been raped but this has happened with other women...," protester who was protesting over Sandeshkhali violence.

Women, who have been protesting against Trinamool Congress strongman Shahjan Sheikh's barbaric actions, alleged that the women who have been raped were asked for the medical report to prove that they has been sexually assaulted. The protesters questioned "how can cases occured six months or one year back can be proved by medical examinstaion report".

"...We are being asked to show medical report to prove rape... How can the women of the village come forward and say they have been raped? I have not been raped but this has happened with other women...," protester who was protesting over Sandeshkhali violence. Women protesters claimed that their neighbours were picked up from their homes late at night and made to do odd jobs.

"They used to make us work forcefully, both men and women at 12 at night. They used to pick us up from our homes and made us work forcefully, even if some one is not well," one of the women protesters said speaking to ANI. Another protester said, "Will we get our respect & dignity back?...The State police will never take into custody Shahjahan, Shibu, Uttam, Ranju, Sanju and others..."

Narrating their ordeal, she added, "Our neighbours used to say that they were picked up at night and dropped home in the morning. They used to tell us that a meeting had been called at 12 am. I have never been there. They used to make us work, whether cleaning party offices, cleaning schools or camps, football ground." The protester also alleged that the football ground which was meant for all villagers, has been converted into Shahjahan Sheikh Football Ground and people have been stopped from coming there.

"The ground was for all of us. Now they have named it Shahjahan Sheikh Football Ground and have stopped anyone from coming there. They have cut down all plants and vegetation around the ground and have made furniture for their home from that," she said. The woman protester also claimed that their land had been taken forcefully and saline water was diverted to their crop land, destroying all their produce.

"They have confiscated our land forcefully. The farmers used to cultivate their crops. They had not yet harvested their produce. They have released saline water on these crops. Farmers were told that they would be given lease. But they not even paid the annual lease amount. Farmers have not been paid for the last three years," she said. On claims of sexual exploitation against women, the protester said, "They are all scared of coming forth. No one trusts the police or the administration or government...We do not know what used to happen inside the room. No one used to say anything. They used to threaten them that they would kill their husbands, take away their children. Who would take such a risk?"

The woman protester said that Shahjahan Sheikh and his men used to physically torture them to the extent that they had to be hospitalised. "They used to hit women as well. They used to break their hands and legs. Many have been admitted to hospital for 3-4 days," she said.

The protester said that the government has issued prohibitory orders under Section 144 to stop their agitation. "They have implemented Section 144 to stop our agitation for our land and oppression against women. But we will not obey that," she said.

The protester also claimed that they were not from any particular political party. "We are not from any party. Those who have come for the protest are from every political party," she said, adding that there is no presence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the village.

"There is no BJP here. Everyone is TMC. There was a BJP worker here. His wife was forced to vote for the TMC forcefully," she said. Speaking about their demands, the protester said, "We want our land back, our respect back. Can they give them back?"

Naming the perpetrators of such crime, whom the villagers want to be arrested, she said, "Shahjahan, Shibu, Uttam, Sanju, Ronju." The woman protester complained that they are not able to be in peace because the administration keep knocking at their doors at night.

"We cannot sleep throughout night. They ask us to open our doors but we do not do so. We don't know if they are police because not all of them are in uniform...We are afraid if we can stay at our place at night or not," she narrated. The protester said that she does not trust the state administration in arresting Shah Jahan or Shibu and want the central government to intervene.

"We will continue our protest till Shah Jahan is caught. We do not think Shah Jahan or Shibu will ever be caught by the state police. We want the central government to intervene. We want them to send their forces. We don't trust the state government," she said. Another woman protester narrated that women were asked to form groups and join Sheikh Shah Jahan's protest just to project that they have the support of women.

"They used to ask women to form groups and go to their protests. They used to think that if women are present in their protests they have their support," she said speaking to ANI. She also claimed that Sheikh Shah Jahan's men used to take items from their shops without paying for them and threatened the shopkeepers if they asked them to pay.

"There are many people associated with Sheikh Shahjahan and Shibu Hazra, like Sonju, Ronju, Dinobondhu. We want all of them to get arrested. They used to hit men, take items from their shops and did not pay them in return, they had huge dues. If someone asks money from them they threaten to break their shops or hit them," she said. She also narrated that if women refused to go with them at late hours theur husbands were tortured. She added that it was futile to complain against them to the police.

"If anyone complained against them in the police station, they did not file their complaints. If the complaint is against Sheikh Shahjahan or Shibu Hazra they did not take them. They used to tell us to solve our problems mutually," she said. The protester added that if anyone protested they were taken to the party office and hit with spade.

"Shibu Hazra does not live here. He is a resident of Jeliakhali. He has set up poultry farm, goat herding, and horticulture by confiscating land from common people. They used to take men from here and asked them to work. When they did not get their salary, they used to say that they do not have money with them. If someone protested, they used to take them to the party office and hit them with a spade. If someone wanted to work someplace else, they used to stop them and forced them to work there," she said. Speaking about the torture inflicted on children, another woman protester said that they were given pistols and liquor bottles and asked to join politics instead of studying.

"Children were tortured as well. Twelve-year-olds were asked to hold liquor bottles and pistols. They used to force them to get into politics to make both ends meet. They used to say that Didi is giving them Laxmir Bhandar, Swastha Sathi, and Kanyashree, why are you studying? You should come with us or else your parents will be killed. In this way, they used to lure them into politics," she said. The protester also questioned the rationale of furnishing medical reports if a woman has been sexually exploited.

"They are asking us for medical report. Have they given us medical report after committing such crimes against us? How can we furnish medical report now? They are all married, have husbands. Papiya Sultana asked us to furnish medical report. How can anyone with husband, children furnish medical report of their assault? This is not possible. They will face questions from their children when they grow up," she said. The protester said that they want the central forces to step in and demanded the arrest of the perpetrators.

"We want central forces to come in and safeguard us. We want to live peacefully. We are not from any party. We want the perpetrators to be arrested. If they come back again Sandeshkhali will turn into a graveyard," he said. Another protester told ANI, "We are hit by spade when we ask them for money. They ask us to come for meetings at 12 at night and made to do menial jobs. Those who are good-looking are taken someplace else." (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)