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PM Modi Likely To Visit Sandeshkhali During March 6 Bengal Trip, BJP Says ‘If Sisters Want…’

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to visit West Bengal for two days starting on February 28.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to speak at a women's gathering in Barasat, located in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on March 6.

Reportedly, he might also have a meeting with the distressed women of Sandeshkhali, as implied by the state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar on Thursday.

Majumdar told the media, "If the sisters and mothers of Sandeshkhali want to meet PM Modi, we will definitely arrange it."

Majumdar told the media, "Today, we came to know that the PM will be visiting the state on March 6 and will address a women's rally at Barasat."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to visit West Bengal for two days starting on February 28.

NCST visit in Sandeshkhali

A team from the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) arrived in Sandeshkhali on Thursday, collecting complaints of forcible land grabbing and torture from local residents.

NCST acting vice-chairperson Ananta Nayak acknowledged receiving complaints against TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh, asserting, "They (Sandeshkhali residents) have mentioned the name of a political leader. We will include it in our report. We have received more than 23 complaints so far."

Nayak informed reporters, "We will compare this (their findings) with the ground report and then submit it to the President."

The NCST's visit follows recent visits by teams from the National Commission for Women and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes to the area. In response to ongoing violence and human rights violations, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice on Wednesday to the state government and police chief.

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the NHRC has decided to "dispatch its team to verify facts through an on-site investigation" into the occurrences of "human rights violations" in Sandeshkhali, as stated by official sources.

Many women in Sandeshkhali have alleged that Shajahan Sheikh, a prominent figure in the Trinamool Congress, and his supporters engaged in "land-grab and sexually assaulting" them under coercion.

Shajahan has been on the run since a mob, purportedly associated with him, assaulted officials from the Enforcement Directorate during a search of his premises on January 5 in connection with a ration scam.