Sandeshkhali unrest: Section 144 imposed in vicinity of Basirhat SP office over BJP agitation
Kolkata (PTI): Prohibitory orders were clamped on Tuesday in the vicinity of the SP's office in West Bengal's Basirhat in view of a proposed agitation programme by the BJP over allegations of sexual harassment by women in Sandeshkhali block.
The orders were enforced under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) from 6 am and 6 pm to maintain law and order, officials said.
A large number of police personnel have also been deployed outside the SP's office in Basirhat to prevent any untoward incident, they said.
Sandeshkhali is under the purview of the Basirhat police district.
The state BJP had announced its leaders will gherao the SP office on Tuesday in protest against the situation in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district.
Women in Sandeshkhali have been agitating for the last few days over alleged atrocities against them by TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his aides.
The protesters claim that Sheikh and his "gang" captured swathes of land by force, besides sexually harassing women in the area.
Sheikh, who has been absconding since last month after a team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that went to raid his house in Sandeshkhali in connection with a ration scam, was attacked by a mob.
Meanwhile, state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said a party delegation will travel to Basirhat by train.
"We will reach Basirhat, meet the SP and question him on the Sandeshkhali development. We shall demand punishment for the culprits," he told reporters at Hridaypur railway station.
"We could have broken the barricades put up by the police, but our party will not do it... we don't want to inconvenience the locals," Majumdar said, when asked about the decision to travel by train.
On Monday, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and several other MLAs of the party were stopped from visiting Sandeshkhali. A Congress delegation, too, had reportedly been prevented from visiting the trouble-torn area on Tuesday.
VIDEO | Scuffle breaks out between security forces and BJP workers, as they tried to gherao SP office in Basirhat over the issue of alleged systematic sexual assault on women in Sandeshkhali. pic.twitter.com/2dSGnB3Lre
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 13, 2024
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Iran foreign minister Araghchi meets Pakistan Army chief Munir
Islamabad (PTI): Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday met Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir here, as Islamabad continued its efforts to facilitate engagement between the US and Iran.
The meeting, according to a short video posted by the Iranian embassy on social media, was also attended by Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, and Iran's ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam.
Araghchi calls on Munir, the embassy said in the video caption.
It did not provide further details about the discussions.
Araghchi arrived here late Friday for engagements with the Pakistani leadership. He was received by senior officials, including Munir, foreign minister Ishaq Dar and interior minister Mohsin Naqvi.
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However, there is no clarity on whether direct talks between Washington and Tehran will take place during the visit.
"No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US. Iran's observations would be conveyed to Pakistan," Baqaei said in a social media post on Saturday.
Araghchi, before leaving for Islamabad, said that he was embarking on a timely tour of Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow, and the purpose of his visits is to "closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments".
"Our neighbours are our priority," he said.
As the Iranian team landed in Islamabad, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US Special Envoy on the Middle East Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's adviser Jared Kushner would be leaving for Pakistan on Saturday "to engage in direct talks" with representatives of the Iranian delegation.
However, the US team has not yet arrived.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar, in a social media post, expressed hope for "meaningful engagements" between the two warring parties to promote regional peace and stability.
The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11 and 12 failed to produce a breakthrough, prompting a flurry of diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to cool tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The Iran war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes.
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