Trinamul Congress Launches Drive to Address Alleged Property Grabbing in Sandeshkhali

In an effort to find locals in Sandeshkhali whose homes were purportedly taken by party officials Shibaprasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar, the Trinamul Congress has started a campaign to reimburse the expropriated parties for their losses.

Since the first week of this month, Hazra and Sardar, together with Trinamul leader Shahjahan Sheikh, have been the focus of public outcry.


Trinamul has made the decision to compile a list of villagers who have also claimed that Shahjahan, Uttam, and Shibaprasad were responsible for financial abuses against them.

With pen and paper in hand, Trinamul's team—which included Panchayat Samity member Ashtami Das, Panchayat member Ganesh Das, and Vice-President Maheswar Sardar of Sandeshkhali—was seen visiting houses to gather information.

Trinamul Sandeshkhali MLA Sukumar Mahata remarked in an interview with The Telegraph: "We have asked three of our local leaders to find out the amount of dues and prepare a list of villagers." They will also look at other issues that the people have been dealing with. The first results show that the two leaders' (Shibaprasad and Uttam) claims of non-payment are accurate.

Shibaprasad has mostly paid off his debts, whereas Uttaram still owes a significant sum. Uttam should pay his debts since he works in the fishing industry. We have also informed his relatives of this. The Trinamul MLA said, "We also instructed police to assist with this campaign.

The party has already requested payment from the leaders and their families, and in the event that they fail to do so, it is looking into other options for paying the outstanding balance.

Several villagers of Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas were accused of having their land, ponds, and fisheries taken by Uttam and Shibaprasad. None of the residents got the money from the couple, despite being subsequently promised payment.

SC urgent hearing

The Supreme Court decided to consider a request for an early hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Friday. The advocate had asked for a CBI or court-monitored investigation into allegations of sexual abuse against women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Sandeshkhali, among other things.

Further reporting from our New Delhi-based legal reporter.

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