The allegations of land grab and sexual assault at Sandeshkhali have emerged as the rallying point of the Lok Sabha polls both for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress.
With polling concluding for 18 of the 42 seats and election remaining for the last three phases, the allegations and counter allegations over Sandeshkhali have dominated the political rhetoric.
The island in the Sundarbans made headlines in February this year, when violence erupted over allegations of land grab and sexual assault targeted at local Trinamool leadership, particularly Sheikh Shahjahan. Mr. Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police on February 29 and he remains in the custody of central probe agencies from the first week of March.
