PM Narendra Modi raises West Bengal 'flogging' incidents in his Rajya Sabha approach, targets opposition for 'selective approach'

In his  reply to the Motion of thanks to the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Modi, who returned to power for the third straight term after winning the seen-phased Lok Sabha polls last month, said: "The selective approach of the Opposition on atrocities against women."

Modi referred to the flogging episode in Uttar Dinajpur and said: "I am not targeting any state or trying to settle a political score, I saw some visuals on social media which had come from Bengal. A woman was seen being beaten up on the road in public."

"It is sad to see incidents like Sandeshkhali being politicised," he said.

"The incidents in Sandeshkhali gave us goosebumps," he said.

He said he had not seen pain being reflected in the words of veterans who are speaking on the issue.

"Those who consider themselves progressive women leaders have also kept mum because the incident is related to the party or state associated with their political life," he said.

As the recent incident of mob lynching surfaced, where a woman was beaten up by a man in full public view, it has come to the fore that 12 such incidents took place in West Bengal in a span of just a week, media reports said.

In the recent incident that occurred in the Lakshmipur area of Chopra block in North Dinajpur, a woman was beaten up by a man in public as a crowd that gathered watched the assault without protest.

The incident reportedly occurred at an "arbitration meeting" and the opposition BJP and the Left alleged that the assailant is a local strongman named Tajemul who has TMC connections and is known for such acts with impunity. The accused is now under arrest.

Instead of involving police the Trinamool Congress strongman reportedly decided to serve "instant justice" and beat up the woman mercilessly kicking her and pulling her by her hair. While the woman screamed for help, no one came forward to rescue her.

The perpetrator also attacked a man along with the woman as he beat up both with a stick. The cause of the assault is not yet known.

North Dinajpur June 22

It came on the heels of a similar attack on two men in North Dinajpur, a video of which went viral and stirred a loud political debate.

Two young men, Sourav Shaw and his friend, were allegedly beaten by a mob on suspicion of theft in the Jamboni area on June 22 in Jhargram district. Sourav succumbed to his injuries after nine days in the hospital, while his friend remains in critical condition.

Police intervened upon receiving information and rescued the injured youths and they were taken to hospital. Sourav died during the treatment.

"A complaint was received against unknown persons six days after the incident. Two people --Mahendra Mittal and Dactar Soren-- have been arrested so far," Jhargram SP, Arijit Sinha, informed India Today.

Referring to the North Dimapur incident, Union Minister and BJP chief JP Nadda targeted the Mamata Banerjee government, saying, "A horrific video has come to light from West Bengal, reminding of the brutalities that exist only in theocracies. To make matters worse, the TMC cadre and MLAs are justifying the act".

Bengal has been witnessing a rise in mob violence incidents over the past week. At least 12 such incidents, including some resulting in fatalities, have been reported.

Hooghly, June 30

A young man, Ashish Baul Das, was beaten to death in the Hooghly district on June 30. According to reports, the incident occurred following an altercation between the victim and a group of men over a minor bike accident.

Eyewitnesses stated that Ashish's bike hit the vehicle of another man who was in a drunken state. According to locals, there was already tension between the two groups over playing loud music. After the bike accident, a few drunken men started beating Ashish Baul Das.

He was rescued and taken to the hospital by locals. However, he died on Saturday night.

Kolkata, June 29

A man was allegedly beaten to death on suspicion of mobile theft in Kolkata’s Salt Lake area. The victim has been identified as Prasenjit Mondal. Police arrested three people, including one Bangladeshi national, in connection with this incident. The deceased was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead. The hospital authorities informed the police about the incident.

North Dinajpur, June 28

A couple was allegedly beaten up by local Trinamool Congress strongman Tajmul Haque, also known as JCB, in the North Dinajpur district on June 28.

In a viral video, a man is seen thrashing the couple with a bamboo stick while the woman is seen writhing in pain. The Trinamool leader was arrested after the video went viral.

What happened in Sandeshkhali?

The turmoil in Sandeshkhali, a remote block about 80 kms from Kolkata and a part of the Basirhat sub-division of North 24 Parganas district, broke out first in early January when a team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) reached TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan's residence to quiz him in connection with the ration distribution scam in the state.

Shahjahan's aides allegedly assaulted and chased the ED officers turning the area into a political hotspot months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Shahjahan was later arrested.

Leaving the ruling TMC in trouble, several women from the village came out with brooms and sticks earlier and demanded the arrest of the TMC strongman.

The protesting women have alleged Shahjahan and his aides captured several lands forcefully and sexually harassed them. The TMC later alleged that the entire episode was orchestrated by the BJP.