By Suryagni Roy: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has written to the Bengal top cop seeking details about a complaint by the BJP’s Bengal chief, Sukanta Majumder, over the ‘dandavat parikrama’ incident in the state’s Balurghat. The Bengal director general of police has been given three days’ time to respond to the commission’s notice, failing which “the commission may issue summons for your appearance in person or by a representative before the commission”, the letter said.

The BJP alleged that three women from the ST community were forced to do a ‘dandavat parikrama’ by Trinamool Congress leaders as penance for quitting the party and joining the BJP.

The Trinamool Congress on Sunday changed its Dakshin Dinajpur Mahila President after the BJP claimed that local TMC workers forced tribal women to perform ‘dandavat parikrama’ allegedly as a punishment for joining the BJP.

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According to the BJP, around 200 tribal women from Tapan in South Dinajpur district joined the saffron party on Thursday. But four of them succumbed to the TMC’s threats and were forced to perform the ‘dandavat parikrama’ for jumping ship.

The Adivasi women were first made to perform the ‘dandavat parikrama’ in front of the local TMC workers and the former district mahila chief Pradipta Chakraborty and then forced to rejoin the ruling party in Balurghat in North Dinajpur district, the BJP claimed.

Sharing a video on Twitter, Sukanta Majumdar said, “Martina Kisku, Shiuli Mardi, Thakran Soren and Malati Murmu, residents of Tapan Gofanagar, Tapan, joined the BJP yesterday. They belong to the ST community. Today, TMC goons forced them to return to TMC and punished them by asking them to do Dandavat Parikrama.”

In response to the video and news reports, the TMC replaced its Dakshin Dinajpur mahila president within 24 hours and appointed Snehalata Hembrom in her place.

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