SANDESHKHALI: A BJP Mahila Morcha functionary in Sandeshkhali was on Tuesday sent to judicial custody for eight days by a Basirhat court after surrendering in order to get bail. A complaint had been lodged against Piyali Das alias Mampi by a “rape survivor” stating that the BJP member had coerced women into lodging false rape complaints.
“After receiving the complaint on Friday, cops had summoned Das but she didn’t turn up at Sandeshkhali police station.Investigating officers then moved the Basirhat ACJM court, which issued the order to file a case against Das. Police then registered an FIR against her and initiated a case,” a senior Basirhat district police officer said.
Police sources said another complaint was lodged against Das on Monday containing the same allegations.
Das said she had been falsely implicated and hadn’t gone to Basirhat court to surrender. ” I was framed and remanded in judicial custody. Didi (CM Mamata Banerjee) got scared and protesters hatched a conspiracy against me,” she said while being taken into custody.
Calling the allegations against her “baseless”, Das said: “A false complaint was lodged against me. I didn’t force anybody to lodge a (rape) complaint, those women did it on their own.”
Defence lawyer Pritam Mondal said: “The FIR against Mampi was under bailable sections. That is why she chose to surrender. But we learnt later that additional non bailable sections were added.”
BJP’s Basirhat candidate, Rekha Patra, stood by Das. “Das is one of the prominent faces of the Sandeshkhali movement. Police are deliberately taking action against people like her at the behest of Trinamool brass.”
TMC Sandeshkhali MLA Sukumar Mahato said: “The action comes only after the innocent women came forward to raise their voices against the culprits, who had hatched a conspiracy to spread violence in the name of ‘Sandeshkhali Movement’.”