West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Sukanta Majumdar on April 10 wrote to President Droupadi Murmu on an incident involving four tribal women who were allegedly forced to do a ‘dandi parikrama’ (prostrate over a distance of one km)’ to ‘atone’ for joining the saffron party.
The incident occurred on April 6 at Dakshin Dinajpur’s Tapan town. In a 27-second video clip, three tribal women could be seen prostrating on the ground. The women residents of Tapan’s Gofanagar gram panchayat along with several others had joined the BJP, but returned to the Trinamool Congress a day later. According to the BJP leadership, the women were forced to prostrate for one km to ‘atone’ for joining the BJP.
The incident has sparked off condemnation across social and political circles. On April 9, the Trinamool Congress replaced its women president of the party’s Dakshin Dinajpur district unit and appointed Snehalata Hembrom, a tribal on the post. The police have registered a case against “unknown elements” for the incident.
In the letter to the President, Mr. Majumdar said that “inhuman medieval period autocracy was met out by forcing them “Dandavat Parikrama” for about 1 km as punishment before handing over the TMC flag in the Trinamool district party office”.
Along with seeking the intervention of the President, Mr. Majumdar also wrote to the National Commission for Schedule Tribes seeking an inquiry into the incident. Another BJP Leader and MLA from the Balurghat Assembly seat in Dakshin Dinajpur wrote to the Chief Minister and demanded arrest of “miscreants behind the inhuman and atrocious act”.
On April 10, Mr. Majumdar along with the national vice president of BJP Dilip Ghosh held a rally in Dakshin Dinajpur and organised a march to the office of the District Magistrate. The State BJP president sought that cases under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act be registered and the Trinamool Congress leaders, who were responsible for the plight of the women, be arrested.
Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari urged the women not to fear and come forward and approach the police. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that it was Mr. Adhikari who had insulted Jhargram MLA Birbaha Hansda by saying that “she was under his shoes” and the BJP leadership should have complained to the President about the remarks targeted at Ms. Hansda.
