The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India against National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma and BJP leaders including Piyali Das.
In the complaint filed on Sunday, the TMC alleged that Sharma and Das “coerced [women in Sandeshkhali] through threats of violence” to sign a blank paper without knowing its purpose. The party alleged the signature on blank paper was used to file “false rape complaints”.
The complaint refers to an interview where a woman from Sandeshkhali shared her distressing experience, stating that she was coerced, through threats of violence by Rekha Sharma and Piyali Das, to sign a blank paper without knowing its purpose. Later, when the police issued her a notice, she learnt that she had been made a de-facto complainant in a rape case and she realized that her signature was used to file a false rape complaint without her consent.
The TMC further claimed that when the woman tried to withdraw the complaint, she was subjected to intimidation and threats from local BJP members, especially from Piyali Das. The BJP leader had allegedly threatened the women with dire consequences if she resisted or tried to withdraw the complaint.
The TMC also criticized the BJP for spreading a “false narrative” of the incident, holding the AITC responsible for this incident.
In the complaint, the TMC sought criminal proceedings against Rekha Sharma and BJP leaders including Piyali Das for “commission of serious offences of forgery, cheating, fraud, intimidation and criminal conspiracy upon innocent women of Sandeshkhali”.
The TMC asked the poll body to issue strict directions to respective Station House Officers of competent police stations to initiate criminal proceedings against the accused and to restrain the BJP and its leaders from making any further false allegations concerning the Sandeshkhali incident.
