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The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has filed a formal complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) against National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma and local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders following allegations that women in Sandeshkhali were deceived into filing sexual assault complaints against TMC leaders.
The complaint alleges forgery, cheating, fraud, criminal intimidation, and criminal conspiracy against women in Sandeshkhali and the wider electorate. The allegations stem from multiple purported videos shared on social media where Sandeshkhali women claimed that a local saffron party leader made them sign blank papers which were later filled up as complaints of sexual assault.
The TMC alleged that attempts to withdraw the complaint were met with further intimidation and threats from local BJP members, particularly one Priyali Das. The party said that such an act of obtaining a signature on blank paper through coercion to file a false rape complaint is not only an abuse of law and power but also amounts to offenses of forgery, cheating, fraud, criminal intimidation, and criminal conspiracy.
The TMC also accused the NCW of deviating from its noble mandate and transforming into a predator rather than a protector. The party alleged that this distressing transformation is evidenced by its alarming collusion with BJP in perpetrating illegal and unconscionable acts.
The TMC has demanded that the Election Commission take strict action, including initiating criminal proceedings against Rekha Sharma, Priyali Das, and other unnamed BJP members. The party has also sought directives to prevent further intimidation of witnesses and halt the spread of false allegations.
The NCW, however, claimed that the women were coerced into retracting their complaints and sought an inquiry from the Election Commission in the matter. The women's panel said in a letter to the ECI that it has come to the notice of the Commission that the women of Sandeshkhali are being compelled to withdraw their complaints by TMC workers as they are the ruling party in West Bengal.