Viral Sandeshkhali video: BJP leader approaches Calcutta HC

Kolkata, May 10
A local BJP leader, Gangadhar Kayal, in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali on Friday approached a single-judge bench of Calcutta High Court claiming that a fake sting-operation video involving him was being circulated.

Kayal said in the video he was seen and heard claiming that the protests staged by the women against alleged sexual harassment by local Trinamool Congress leaders were orchestrated by the BJP.

The single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta has admitted the petition. The matter is likely to come up for hearing on May 14, the day after the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls.

The video surfaced on May 4, Kayal, a Mandal president of BJP at Sandeshkhali, approached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claiming that in the video modulation of his voice was done through the use of Artificial Intelligence.

To recall, the CBI is already conducting a probe into the matter of complaints of sexual harassment, illegal land grabbing and extortion at Sandeshkhali by a section of the Trinamool Congress leaders there.

The development comes at a time when the ruling Trinamool Congress is going all-out in its campaign that the entire Sandeshkhali episode has been orchestrated by the BJP to show the ruling party and the state government in a bad light.

A section of the Trinamool Congress leaders have even claimed that the decision to suspend Sheikh Shahjahan, the principal accused in the Sandeshkhali episode, from the party was taken in haste.

Observers feel that now that the matter has reached the level of the Calcutta High Court, confusion over the authenticity of the video is likely to be resolved soon.