Kolkata: Amid the outrage over a video from Manipur where his party is in power, BJP social media chief Amit Malviya shared a clip Saturday claiming that two tribal women were stripped and tortured in West Bengal’s Malda district.
The purported video shared by Malviya on Twitter shows several women assaulting the two accused in a place teeming with people.
“The horrific incident took place on the morning of 19th July. The women belonged to socially marginalised community and had a frenzied mob baying for her blood,” he tweeted, taking a swipe at the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Malviya also accused West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee of shedding “copious tears”and screaming “blue murder” in the Manipur case, “because it was politically expedient”.
The horror continues in West Bengal. Two Tribal women were stripped naked, tortured and beaten mercilessly, while police remained a mute spectator in Pakua Hat area of Bamangola Police Station, Malda.
The horrific incident took place on the morning of 19th July. The women… pic.twitter.com/tyve54vMmg
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 22, 2023
Soon, the BJP and the ruling TMC were caught in a war of words over the episode that took place at a weekly market in Malda’s Bamongola area.
Malda Superintendent of Police Pradeep Kumar Yadav, meanwhile, confirmed to the media that a suo moto FIR was filed and investigation is on.
The incident took place earlier this week at the weekly market place where five women from Manikchak were caught stealing, according to local media reports. While three others managed to escape, two were caught by the crowd, the reports added.
Meanwhile, TMC minister Shashi Panja called it a case of theft where the two ladies tried to steal from the market. “A group of women tried to take law and order into their hands and started beating them. Police reached the spot and a civic volunteer tried to stop the altercation, but was overpowered. The police are investigating the case,” she said at a press briefing.
Commenting on the Manipur situation, Union WCD minister Smriti Irani attacked the Congress for remaining a “mute spectator to the killings of the innocents in the state of West Bengal all because it is hungry for collaboration with the TMC”.
Similarly, West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar questioned Mamata Banerjee’s silence and asked why the opposition alliance is not taking a stand on the Malda incident, like in Manipur’s case.
On July 21, 2023, in Malda Manikchak, two women were stripped naked and subjected to medieval barbarity even in the presence of the police. Despite the prolonged incident, Mamata’s police remained mere spectators. https://t.co/qmHScOUuaq
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— BJP Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) July 22, 2023
Panja slammed the BJP, saying the opposition leaders want to “politicise each and every issue”. “Yesterday they spread misinformation about Howrah and today about Malda (that a BJP candidate was stripped and paraded naked on poll day). It’s not a political issue, but a local one. They want to divert the attention of the people from the Manipur incident,” the TMC minister added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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