‘Forced To File Fake Complaints…’: Sandeshkhali Women Take U-Turn, Withdraw Rape Allegations Against TMC Leaders

A woman and her mother-in-law from Sandeshkhali, West Bengal, withdrew their rape complaint against leaders of the Trinamool Congress, claiming that they were forced to sign a “white paper” at the National Commission for Women’s request. The event occurs a few days after a BJP employee was seen on a purpoted video claiming the party was involved in the Sandeshkhali incident, which surfaced on social media.

Addressing the media, the woman described how “Delhi’s Mahila Commission” forced her and her mother-in-law to file fake rape complaints, even though they had no idea what the complaints contained. The women filed a new complaint with the police, alleging threats and ostracism as a result of her decision to withdraw the complaint against TMC leaders.

The woman stated that she later discovered that she and her mother-in-law were among the women who claimed to have been raped by local Trinamool leaders. “No such thing happened to us. It was scripted, with false allegations. “We do not want to be associated with any false complaints,” she added. The development comes as the BJP has raised the Sandeshkhali issue ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to target Bengal’s ruling Mamata Banerjee government.

Earlier this year, Sandeshkhali gained national attention when a number of women staged large-scale demonstrations against Trinamool leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his associates, alleging that they were engaging in sexual harassment and land grabs.

The BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari and other members were the target of a complaint filed by the ruling TMC on Thursday with the Election Commission saying that a BJP leader had “confessed” on camera that the rape allegations in Sandeshkhali were made up, news agency PTI reported.