Kolkata, Feb 15 (PTI) Left parties on Thursday brought out rallies in Kolkata and at Basirhat demanding action against perpetrators of alleged atrocities on villagers in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali area.

They also sought release of arrested former CPI(M) MLA from the constituency Nirapada Sardar.

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Leftist intellectuals and leaders, including RSP general secretary Manoj Bhattacharya and CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Bhattacharya, participated in the rally from Lake Market to Hazra crossing, which is within a kilometre of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence.

The CPI(M) also held a rally at Basirhat town, about 38 km from Sandeshkhali, demanding action against the perpetrators of alleged atrocities on villagers in the restive area in North 24 Parganas district, which has witnessing protests for over a week.

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They also demanded the release of former CPI(M) MLA from Sandeshkhali, Nirapada Sardar, who was arrested in connection with some alleged violent protests in the area.

He is in police custody now.

The CPI(M) supporters, led by the party's central committee member Sujan Chakraborty, walked from in front of Basirhat College till they were stopped by the police in front of the Basirhat SP office, a distance of a little more than three kilometres.

Protests were held in Sandeshkhali in the past several days, with a significant number of women taking to the streets, demanding the arrest of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his followers.

The accusations against Sheikh and his aides include forcefully capturing land and sexually harassing women.

Sheikh has been absconding since January 5 when a mob attacked Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers during a raid at his residence in connection with an alleged ration scam. His aide Sibhu Hazra is also at large.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)