Former CPM MLA's Past Alerts on Sandeshkhali Issues Resurface Amid Present Unrest

Official records of the Assembly show that as early as 2012 and 2013, former CPM MLA Nirapada Sardar had reported the alleged incidents of landgrab, attack on women, and police inaction to villagers' complaints. Sardar has been in jail since his arrest on February 11 on charges of inciting trouble at Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas.

According to assembly records, Sardar brought up the concerns in the House at least three times, twice in 2012 and once in 2013. Sardar served as the last CPM Member of Assembly for Sandeshkhali from 2011 to 2016.

When bringing up the supposed landgrab problem in Jeriakhali in Sandeshkhali, Sardar called out the accused as “Trinamul goons” and mentioned four “bargadars (sharecroppers)” whose plots had been taken.

On June 19, 2012, Sardar brought up the matter in the Assembly, saying, "Respected Speaker Sir, I would seek to draw the attention of the honorable Chief Minister through you with grave concern." On May 31, in the Jeriakhali gram panchayat in Sandeshkhali, four sharecroppers were forcibly removed. Ibad Ali Sardar, Fayez Sheikh, Bacher Sheikh, and Nacher Sheikh are the four bargadars. They have been registered as sharecroppers and have owned 44 bighas of land since the year 1985. The Sunderbans are now experiencing pisciculture due to natural causes, and they were running fisheries on their territory. They had barga receipts up to 1991, which were given out by bargadars and landowners. On May 31, several thugs with support from Trinamul arrived out of nowhere and forcibly took their land. They went to the police, but they were unable to register a police report at the station. The police rejected their FIR, sir. This land has been forcibly taken away by these Hannan Mollah, Rauf Mollah, Rezzak Mollah, Sirajul Mollah, and Sahanara Mistry. (Official Report on Assembly Proceedings, Vol. 141, No. 1, June–July Session 2012, Pages 125–126).

Speaker Biman Banerjee interrupted him when he was mentioned, stating that the police should handle the situation.

According to records kept by the Assembly, the Speaker said, "This is a subject for the matter for the police; you speak from the perspective of what you want to seek attention to."

"Their land should be returned and I demand in this House that the police should act impartially in favor of the bargadars," said Sardar, speaking once again.

The CPM was allegedly "making a lot of noises on Sandeshkhali now to provoke unrest against the Mamata Banerjee government and reap political dividends," according to the Trinamul Congress, whereas Sardar had previously remained "eloquently silent" in response to the current disturbances in the area.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday during a function at Mahestala in South 24-Parganas, Trinamul national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee questioned the former CPM MLA on why he had not brought up the government occurrences occurring in Sandeshkhali in front of the media.

Sandeshkhali was represented by the CPM until 2016. Why remained silent leaders of the CPM, Nirapada Sardar, and the BJP, Bikash Sinha? Sandeshkhali is the home of Nirapada Sardar and Bikash Sinha. Why didn't they notify the administration in writing or over the phone about these incidents? Why didn't they take action? This question is on my mind.

In the North 24 Parganas district's Sandeshkhali, police officers engage with locals.

Gouranga Chatterjee, the CPM's West Burdwan district unit secretary, said the Diamond Harbour MP was lying "white lies at such a young age."

How much deception would Abhishek spread to hide his party leaders' illicit actions? His opulent residence in south Kolkata is not far from the solutions to his questions. All he has to do is take his fancy automobile to the Assembly and pick up the recordings of the 2012 and 2013 sessions' proceedings, which are available at the House library. Nirapada Sardar has brought up the landgrab occurrences, the atrocities committed against women by Trinamul officials, and the police's inactivity in Sandeshkhali at least three times between 2012 and 2013.

Speaking of the Budget session that took place from March 8 to 22, 2013, Chatterjee cited the Assembly Proceedings Official Report, Volume 142, No. 1 as evidence that the CPM MLA had brought up the alleged occurrences of atrocities on Sandeshkhali women.

On March 13, 2013, Nirapada remarked on Zero Hour, "Sir, I aim to address an important problem via you.(The matter pertains to) an occurrence in Dakshin Nolkora, the assembly constituency of Sandeshkhali. Suddenly, an elected Trinamul member and a few thugs who were given sanctuary by the group assaulted ladies in a hamlet. A handful stepped up to rebel, but they were brutally thrashed with sticks and were sick as a result. They were taken to Rajbari Hospital, which is close by. There, they were not treated. They attempted to file complaints at the police station after going there, but even then, they were treated badly. I bring up the event for your consideration.

South Nolkora and Jeriakhali are both located in Sandeshkhali block II, the scene of the February 8 women-led demonstrations against Trinamul leaders Shahjahan and his associates. Eleven years later, the demonstrators in Sandeshkhali are making identical concerns to the occurrences that Sardar reported in 2012 and 2013.

On March 20, 2012, Sardar informed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about the "lands by tribals being taken away in the Sunderbans" during a debate of the governor's speech.

Sardar had told Mamata that if this continued, the tribal populace would not forgive the Trinamul administration.

When asked if Sardar had brought up the alleged land grab and atrocities against the Sandeshkhali villagers in the House and why the state government had not moved sooner, a Trinamul insider replied that although the Left had lost in 2011 Sandeshkhali had remained the CPM's stronghold for a while. "In the early years, Trinamul chose to disregard such objections from the Opposition in order to grow its organization in the region and overthrow the CPM. People like Shahjahan Sheikh were out of control by the time the party realized there was a problem, and Trinamul kept turning a blind eye as they maintained their dominance in the local elections, the leader said.

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