Face of Sandeshkhali Rekha Patra approaches Calcutta HC seeking protection from state police action

Kolkata: BJP candidate from Basirhat Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal Rekha Patra, the face of the women’s movement in Sandeshkhali, on Wednesday approached the Calcutta High Court seeking protection from “coercive action” by state police.

In the petition, Patra has appealed to the court to direct the state police to inform it (the court) of the number of cases filed against her along with the details. The petition has been admitted and the matter will come up for a hearing on Thursday.

The plea was made after the West Bengal Police took into account a video which went viral where local BJP leader from Sandeshkhali Gangadhar Kayal was seen and heard claiming that the movement by women at Sandeshkhali was plotted and orchestrated by BJP.

Based on the contents of the sting operation video, the West Bengal Police registered FIRs against Patra and Kayal.

Patra suspects that more FIRs might have been registered against her by the state police and hence in her appeal she has sought information about the exact number and details of the FIRs.

As police registered an FIR against Kayal, he moved the Calcutta High Court and on Tuesday the single judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta barred the West Bengal Police from initiating a probe or adopting coercive action against him till further orders.

Kayal has also approached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is already conducting a probe on the complaints of illegal land grabbing, extortion and sexual harassment at Sandeshkhali, claiming that in the sting operation video, his voice was modulated through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

IANS