The Sandeshkhali case is not taking a moment of rest in West Bengal since the election stir has taken place in the state. The latest development in the case comes after the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI probe on Wednesday into alleged crimes against women, forcible land-grab in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali.
The court also added that it will monitor the investigation, and also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to file a report on the illegal conversions of agricultural lands in the village. The CBI agency has also issued a new portal for the locals of the village stating the new portal acting as a new platform for the people registering their voices. All witnesses will be provided proper protection and security, sources said.
Sandeshkhali is an island that is located around 80 kilometres away from Kolkata. It has been in the news after local women alleged land-grabbing and sexual abuse the suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh and his team members, who are involved in fish farming and trading.
On March, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose had constituted a team of experts for conducting a study of the lands in Sandeshkhali which were illegally grabbed by the political leaders and members from the villagers and were turned into fish farms, and suggest different ways to utilise them.
News agency PTI quoted that experts in the field said that although the farmlands were return following the interrogation, villagers and original owners of the land said that the lands have now become unfit for agriculture due to the draining of saline water for fish farming. They also added that the topsoil needs to be replaced to make those lands suitable for cultivation again.
