Stopped from entering Sandeshkhali, Bengal LoP moves Calcutta HC again

Kolkata, Feb 20 (IANS) The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, after being stopped from entering Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas District on Tuesday morning, moved the Calcutta High Court again seeking fresh permission from it to visit the trouble-hit area.

Although on Monday, the Calcutta High Court’s single-judge Bench of Justice Kausik Chanda permitted the LoP to reach those points in Sandeshkhali where Section 144 has been withdrawn, the District Administration on Tuesday morning issued fresh prohibitory orders under Section 144 at 12 new places there.

These 12 places included the five ferry jetties which are entry points to Sandeshkhali, which is basically a conglomeration of islands.

As the LoP and a small team of BJP MLAs in West Bengal reached the ferry jetty at Dhamakhali, they were stopped by a huge police contingent present there.

Adhikari and his associates engaged in a heated exchange of words with the police officials leading the contingent, but to no avail.

“I have a valid court order to go to select points at Sandeshkhali. Still I am not being allowed to go there. I have now moved the Bench of Justice Chanda again in the matter with the aid of my counsel in Kolkata,” Adhikari told media persons.

Like the LoP, the CPI-M politburo member Brinda Karat was also stopped at Dhamakhali ferry jetty citing the fresh prohibitory orders.

An angry Brinda Karat told media persons, “The cops here do not have the capability of tracing the absconding Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, who is the mastermind behind the attack on ED sleuths, even though so many days have passed since the attack took place. This is because he is under protection of the ruling Trinamool Congress. But the police here are so active in preventing us from visiting the trouble zones.”