Kolkata: No evidence was found in the complaint that a woman candidate was allegedly stripped and paraded naked in Howrah district’s Panchla during the panchayat election on July 8, West Bengal’s Director-General of Police (DGP) Manoj Malviya said on Friday.
Alleging that a “Manipur-like” situation was prevailing in West Bengal, state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar claimed at a press conference in Delhi that the woman was paraded naked in South Panchla for daring to contest the panchayat polls.
BJP MP Locket Chatterjee even broke down during the press conference. “The West Bengal chief minister is silent despite being a woman. You tell us where we will go. We also want our daughters to be saved,” she said, crying.
Malviya said police found no evidence after investigating the complaint it received by e-mail on July 13.
“A complaint was received by e-mail on July 13. Immediately after receiving it, the Superintendent of Police (Howrah-Rural) gave instructions to start an investigation, and lodge an FIR,” the DGP said.
On July 14, an FIR was filed under relevant sections of the IPC as per the woman’s complaint but no evidence could be found supporting the allegations in the complaint, he said.
Despite repeated summons, neither the complainant nor her husband turned up to record their statements under Section 164 of the CrPC, he said.
“There was no response from the complainant or her family,” he added.
The ruling TMC questioned why the incident was being raised by the BJP just after the nationwide outrage on the May 4 incident in Manipur, in which two women were paraded naked by a mob.
“One after another report is coming from BJP-ruled Manipur, including the latest video. And, it is only now that BJP leaders are raising this issue. Let the investigation continue. But, if such an incident has happened, it is baffling why it was not reported earlier. Is there any video footage?” TMC state spokesperson Joy Prakash Majumdar said.
Responding to it, the BJP state president said, “We don’t have the video footage as taking video of such atrocities is not possible in TMC-ruled Bengal.” PTI SCH SUS
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