Kolkata:

In a blow to the West Bengal government, the Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the release of a woman BJP leader from Sandeshkhali, Mampi Das who was arrested after a sting operation video went viral in which a BJP leader stated that the women’s protest was plotted and orchestrated by the BJP and Das played a key role in it.

While raising questions on the justification for the arrest, the single-judge Bench of Justice Jay Sengupta also questioned who was behind the police action.

Justice Sengupta ordered that Das be released on a personal bond and put a stay on Section 195A (punishment for threatening to give false evidence) of the Indian Penal Code imposed on her.

The next hearing on the matter will be on June 19.

He also observed how Ms Das was arrested. Stating that there were clear directions of the Supreme Court on the use of Section 195A, a non-bailable offence, he observed that if not the Calcutta High Court, the state government and police should at least go by the directions of the Supreme Court.

He also questioned the order of the Judicial Magistrate who ordered the arrest of Das in the matter. “Who is the Investigating Officer in this case and who is the mastermind?” he questioned.

He also questioned how the lower court ordered police custody for Das without examining the Case Diary.

The BJP’s state spokesman Samik Bhattacharya said, “Since the beginning, we had been saying that Mampi’s arrest was a part of a bigger conspiracy.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kolkata:

Amidst controversy over a video alleging that women in Sandeshkhali filed harassment complaints against TMC leaders under BJP’s direction, the saffron party announced on Sunday its intention to contest the accusations in court.

In the purported video, a man claiming to be Gangadhar Kayal, a BJP mandal president in Sandeshkhali, was heard saying that leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly “Suvendu Adhikari is behind the whole conspiracy”.

The TMC had released the video on social media on Saturday, asserting that it supported their claim of BJP’s involvement in the incident.

Refuting the allegations, Mr Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in West Bengal assembly, said Mr  Kayal’s voice in the video was artificially generated.

Addressing reporters in Purba Medinipur, Mr Adhikari highlighted the numerous complaints lodged by women in Sandeshkhali, asserting that the TMC’s release of a doctored video would not absolve them of the charges.

“The entire country knows what happened in Sandeshkhali. Hundreds of complaints were lodged by women there. They had all been subjected to atrocities. They were called at odd hours in the name of important discussions by some local leaders. TMC cannot escape from the charges by bringing out a doctored video,” Mr Adhikari said.

He said Mr Kayal will soon move the high court demanding probe against those who had allegedly used his voice and the TMC for dragging his name in the purported video.

“He is upset for being falsely implicated. BJP leadership and people of the area are with him. They can see through the TMC’s game,” Mr Adhikari said.

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said, “Being in the dock following the outrage over Sandeshkhali, desperate TMC has engineered this video. It refers to three women but what about around 600 complaints filed?” Mr Kayal lodged a complaint with the CBI on Saturday, alleging that the video was manipulated.

Addressing a poll rally, TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remarked that the Sandeshkhali incident was preplanned by the BJP, but emphasised she had not watched the entire video.

The authenticity of the video shared by the TMC has not been independently verified by PTI.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee reiterated the party’s stance at a press conference in Kolkata, condemning what he described as a “shameless attempt” to tarnish Bengal’s image ahead of the elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)