Sandeshkhali Violence: Fact-finding committee members arrested en route to Sandeshkhali

Six members of an independent fact-finding committee, on their way to Sandeshkhali, were arrested at Bhojerhat in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on February 25. Following the arrest, the committee members were brought to PHQ Lal Bazaar Kolkata. The Fact-Finding Committee members were stopped by police at Bhojerhat, South 24 Parganas, while they were proceeding to the trouble-torn Sandeshkhali area in West Bengal`s North 24 Parganas to investigate alleged incidents of atrocities and Sandeshkhali violence on women there. Saikat Ghosh, Deputy Commissioner, Bhangar Division, Kolkata Police, said while speaking to the media, “We were requesting them to not cross from here, but they were trying to break the police barricade unlawfully. So, we had to arrest them under Preventive Sections. If there is information of a ‘breach of peace’, police can arrest them under preventive sections.” Narasimha Reddy, Former Chief Justice of Patna High Court, said, “We sat here but it seems they`ve a problem with this also. Now, we will seek the appointment of the governor and explain the situation to him. Later we`ll talk about this to the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi...”