Four BJP women legislators from West Bengal, including Asansol MLA Agnimitra Paul, continued their protest outside the state Assembly for the second consecutive day on Tuesday. They were demonstrating against recent cases of assault on women in North Dinajpur's Chopra and Cooch Behar districts, which have sparked outrage across the country.
The incidents involved a woman in Cooch Behar who was allegedly dragged and thrashed, and a couple in Chopra who was brutally beaten up in front of a kangaroo court. While arrests have been made in both cases, the incidents have led to a significant political showdown.
Speaking to India Today TV during the protest, Agnimitra Paul emphasized the gravity of the situation, highlighting that these incidents were not isolated but part of a larger pattern of mob violence in the state. She stressed the deteriorating law and order situation and the treatment of women in West Bengal, calling it extremely dangerous.
"This is an indefinite dharna. We will continue to sit here until action is taken against the perpetrators of these crimes," Paul asserted. She criticized the state government for allegedly preventing BJP MLAs from protesting inside the Assembly premises while allowing TMC MLAs to do so.
"We are not even allowed to protest inside the premises. The Speaker allows TMC MLAs the opportunity to protest inside the premises. However, there is no space for discussions or protests regarding safety," Paul stated.
Paul also accused the state government and police of inefficiency, claiming that even when perpetrators are arrested, they are often released promptly.
In a related development, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visited the victim of the Cooch Behar incident in Siliguri on Tuesday morning. However, he was unable to meet with the victim of the Chopra incident. The incidents have sparked widespread concern and demands for stringent action against those responsible.
