Former CPM MLA Nirapada Sardar, who has been in jail following his arrest on February 11 on charges of fomenting trouble at Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas, had flagged the alleged incidents of landgrab, attack on women and police inaction to villagers’ complaints as way back as in 2012 and 2013, official records of the Assembly reveal.

Assembly documents show Sardar, who represented Sandeshkhali as the last CPM MLA from 2011 to 2016, had raised those issues at least thrice — twice in 2012 and once in 2013 — in the House.

While raising the alleged issue of landgrab at Jeriakhali in Sandeshkhali, Sardar named the four “bargadars (sharecroppers)” whose plots had been expropriated and the accused “Trinamul goons”.

Raising the issue in the Assembly on June 19, 2012, Sardar said: “Respected Speaker Sir, through you with grave concern I would seek to draw the attention of the honourable Chief Minister. Last 31st May at Sandeshkhali’s Jeriakhali gram panchayat four sharecroppers have been forcefully evicted. The four bargadars are — Nacher Sheikh, Bacher Sheikh, Ibad Ali Sardar and Fayez Sheikh. They have been in possession of 44 bighas of land as long since the year (19)85 and are recorded as sharecroppers. For natural reasons, pisciculture is now happening in the Sunderbans and they were operating fisheries on their land. Till 1991, they have barga receipts that are issued between landowners and bargadars. Suddenly on 31st (May) some Trinamul-backed goons forcefully came and grabbed their land. They went to the police but they could not file FIR at the police station. Sir, police did not accept their FIR. These Hannan Mollah, Rauf Mollah, Rezzak Mollah, Sirajul Mollah and Sahanara Mistry have forcefully taken away this land.” (Assembly Proceedings Official Report, Vol. 141, No. 1, June-July Session 2012, Pages 125-126).

Responding to his mention, Speaker Biman Banerjee interjected and said it was a matter for the police to deal with.

“This is a subject for the matter for the police, you speak from the perspective of what you want to seek attention to,” the Speaker said as mentioned in the Assembly records.

Speaking again, Sardar said: “Their land should be returned and I demand in this House that the police should impartially act in favour of the bargadars.”

In the wake of the recent unrest in Sandeshkhali, the Trinamul Congress alleged that Sardar had been “eloquently silent” in the past, while the CPM was “making a lot of noises on Sandeshkhali now to provoke unrest against the Mamata Banerjee government and reap political dividends”.

While speaking to reporters after an event at Mahestala in South 24-Parganas on Sunday, Trinamul national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee questioned the former CPM MLA for not bringing up before the media and the government incidents that were happening in Sandeshkhali.

“Sandeshkhali had a CPM representative till 2016…. Why did BJP leader Bikash Sinha and CPM leader Nirapada Sardar not speak out? … Nirapada Sardar lives in Sandeshkhali, Bikash Sinha lives in Sandeshkhali. Why did they not call the media or write a letter to the administration informing them (about these incidents)? Why they did not do it? I have this question in mind.”

Police personnel interact with villagers at Sandeshkhali, in North 24 Parganas district

West Burdwan district unit secretary of the CPM, Gouranga Chatterjee, said the Diamond Harbour MP was telling “white lies at such a young age”.

“What amount of falsehood will Abhishek peddle to cover the criminal activities of his party leaders? The answers to his queries lie not far from his luxurious south Calcutta home. All he needs to do is to drive in his luxury car and reach the Assembly to pick up records of proceedings from the 2012 and the 2013 sessions that can be accessed at the House library. At least in three sessions between 2012 and 2013, Nirapada Sardar had brought up the incidents of landgrab and atrocities on women by Trinamul leaders and police inaction in Sandeshkhali.”

Referring to the Assembly Proceedings Official Report, Volume 142, No. 1, for the Budget session held from March 8 to 22, 2013, Chatterjee said the CPM MLA had specifically mentioned the alleged incidents of atrocities on Sandeshkhali women.

Nirapada said during Zero Hour on March 13, 2013: “Sir, through you I seek to raise an important issue…(the issue relates) to an incident at Sandeshkhali Assembly constituency’s Dakshin Nolkora. A few goons sheltered by the Trinamul and an elected Trinamul member suddenly entered a village and attacked women. When a few came forward to resist, they were severely beaten with sticks and fell ill. They were sent to the nearby Rajbari hospital. They did not get treatment there. They went to the police station and tried to lodge complaints but even in the police station they were not properly behaved with. I draw your attention to the incident.”

Both Jeriakhali and South Nolkora are in Sandeshkhali block II, where protests led by women erupted against Trinamul leaders Shahjahan and his aides on February 8. The incidents flagged by Sardar in 2012 and 2013 are similar to the complaints that the protesters in Sandeshkhali are raising 11 years later.

During a discussion on the governor’s address on March 20, 2012, Sardar alerted chief minister Mamata Banerjee to “lands by tribals being taken away in the Sunderbans”.

If this is not stopped, the tribal population will not forgive the Trinamul government one day, Sardar had forewarned Mamata.

Asked if the alleged incidents of landgrab and atrocities on Sandeshkhali villagers had been placed in the House by Sardar and why the state government had refrained from taking action, a Trinamul insider said though the Left had been defeated in 2011, Sandeshkhali remained the CPM’s stronghold for some time. “To oust the CPM, Trinamul wanted to develop its organisation in the area and preferred to ignore such complaints from the Opposition in the initial years. By the time the party took note of the elephant in the room, people like Shahjahan Sheikh were beyond control and Trinamul continued to look the other way as they ensured their electoral dominance in the area,” the leader said.