West Bengal: Muslim Woman Stripped for Supporting BJP in Cooch Behar; Police Debunks Reports

Media reported that a Muslim woman was stripped, dragged for a kilometre by her hair and thrashed by goons for supporting the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in West Bengal Cooch Behar. It is also alleged that the ruling party Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons attacked the woman for being a worker of the Opposition BJP in the State.

However, West Bengal Police has debunked the media reports terming as 'false rumours'. The police stated that the information is being use to give communal and political colours to a family dispute to vested interests.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday also alleged that a female leader of his party's Minority Morcha was trashed by TMC supporters in the Cooch Behar district. Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly, said he has written to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Commission for Women (NCW) and National Commission for Minorities (NCM) about the incident, urging them to investigate the incident that happened on June 25.

West Bengal Police Statement 

#CoochbeharPolice#WBP#FightRumorspic.twitter.com/Qoox9Bb0rV

— West Bengal Police (@WBPolice) June 28, 2024

According to the police, the incident occurred on the afternoon of June 25, 2024. The victim, along with other local villagers, was at the bank of the Mansai River to graze goats and cut grass for feeding. A quarrel broke out over a previous grudge between the victim and four other women from the same village. During this altercation, the victim's clothes were torn. 

A case was promptly registered at Ghoksadanga Police Station based on the victim's father's complaint. Within 24 hours, three of the named accused were arrested, the police said in a statement released on Friday on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Police said accused Safikul Mia, the brother-in-law of the victim, took a photograph of her secretly and circulated it, which has fueled these false rumours. His confessional video statement has been recorded, and he has been arrested. His phone has been seized for forensic examination.

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The victim's mother and son have both provided video statements confirming that this was purely a family fight among the women over grass cutting. No men were involved in the fight or the assault, said police in the statement released on X.

Bengal Police argued to avoid sharing false information and very facts before sharing any news regarding this. "We urge everyone to refrain from spreading false information and to verify facts before believing or sharing any news. The incident is a family matter and should not be given any communal or political colour," the statement read.