Sukanta Majumdar, the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal, sustained injuries and was hospitalized after falling from his car during the Sandeshkhali protest. The protest stemmed from ongoing grievances by women in Sandeshkhali, accusing TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his associates of mistreatment. The situation escalated when BJP activists, led by Majumdar, clashed with law enforcement in Basirhat after their protest was disrupted. Amidst chaotic scenes, party members breached barricades, prompting police intervention to disperse them. Following the clash, Majumdar and several protesters were briefly detained before being released.
In response to the unrest, the West Bengal government reinstated Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) within a 500-meter radius of seven gram panchayats, including Sandeshkhali. Earlier in the day, Bengal police stopped Sukanta Mazumder from leaving a guest house in Taki in North 24 Parganas district. A huge police deployment was made to prevent BJP leaders from moving towards Sandeshkhali, where section 144 has been imposed. However, BJP leaders defied prohibitory orders and continued their march towards Sandeshkhali, leading to a scuffle with police.
On Monday, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the government was closely monitoring the situation and necessary steps were being taken.The women protesters have claimed that Shajahan Sheikh and his aides had captured their land by force and sexually harassing women in the area. Sheikh has been absconding since January after a team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that went to conduct searches in his house in connection with a ration scam was attacked by a mob.