Ajit Maity, a Trinamool Congress leader, was arrested by Sandeshkhali Police on Monday, shortly after being ousted from his role as the head of the party’s local unit. His arrest came after a significant number of women staged protests, accusing him of involvement in land grabbing and extortion.
Addressing the allegations against him on Monday, Ajit Maity stated, “I’m earnestly pleading, with folded hands, that if I have wrongfully taken anyone’s land or money, please provide written evidence to the police. If I have erred, I am ready to apologize. If evidence is discovered against me, I am prepared to take accountability.”
Visuals shared by the news agency ANI depicted villagers ransacking Ajit Maity’s house and assaulting him with slippers during protests in Sandeshkhali’s Bermajur on Friday. Despite the uproar, Ajit Maity maintained that the allegations against him were unfounded.
“I was attacked because I am a TMC leader. My bike was vandalised and they also attacked my wife. My daughter has exams but she is scared now that we will get attacked again. They also set fire to one of my storage rooms. They were making false allegations about me. Let there be a probe and if I am guilty, the police can arrest me,” Maity said to ANI.
Sandeshkhali, situated around 100 kilometres from Kolkata, has become the focal point of protests against TMC leader Shahjahan and his associates. Accusations of sexual assault and land grabbing have been raised by women against the TMC leader. Over the weekend, two ministers from the TMC-led government in Bengal, Partha Bhowmick and Sujit Bose, paid a visit to Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, amidst ongoing demonstrations, with fresh protests emerging in certain areas.
Protests flared up in Sandeshkhali after local TMC MLA Shahjahan Sheikh went missing following ED raids at his properties. In response, the TMC has asserted that it is not providing cover for the accused local leader, who faces allegations of “sexual abuse and land grab” by villagers in West Bengal’s turbulent Sandeshkhali region.