Bengal assault case: Trinamool starts distancing itself from accused

Kolkata, July 1 (IANS) Trinamool Congress has started distancing itself from Tejemul a.k.a. JCB, the main accused of publicly beating up a woman at a Kangaroo Court in Chopra in West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district after BJP launched a scathing attack against the ruling party.On Monday, BJP’s national president J.P. Nadda posted a strongly worded protest on his official X handle accusing the ruling party and their MLAs of justifying the event.“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. Be it Sandeshkhali, Uttar Dinajpur or many other places, Didi’s West Bengal is UNSAFE for women,” Nadda’s X message read.Soon after Nadda’s post, Trinamool Congress legislator from Chopra Hamidul Rahman, who has been accused by the opposition of being the ‘virtual guardian’ of the accused, jumped into damage control.“I accept that what has happened was totally unfortunate. In certain areas, if a caste-related problem arises there are attempts to solve that through mediation meetings. But I personally as well as my party do not support such moves. The opposition is wrongly trying to interpret that I have tried to justify the act. The opposition leaders are unnecessarily maligning me,” Rahman said.JCB, who was arrested on Sunday evening, will be presented at a district court on Monday afternoon.Former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Dr Santanu Sen said the state government always follows the “zero tolerance” policy on such issues.“The accused has been promptly arrested by police and proceedings against him have already started. Such things are quite common in BJP-ruled states. But the difference is that in West Bengal the state administration does not hesitate to take action against any offender even if he is an associate of the ruling party,” Sen said.–IANSsrc/dpb