Days after a video of a Taliban-styled salishi sabha (kangaroo court) surfaced from West Bengal's Uttar Dinajpur, another footage emerged on Monday showing atrocities being committed by the same perpetrator, in the same manner.
The perpetrator in both the videos was Tajimul Haque, popularly known in the area as JCB. He brutally dragged and flogged a woman and a man with a bunch of bamboo stems on a street while a flood of locals gathered around to watch the cruel act.
The reason why the two adults happened to be on the receiving end of JCB's street justice was because the adults were allegedly involved in an extramarital affair.
In the second video, said to be from June 16, JCB and his men are seen rounding up another man-woman duo, tied up. In the video posted by West Bengal's Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, the accused, JCB, is seen hitting the woman captive in the same manner.
"Episode 2 of street justice, featuring TMC Leader Tajimul alias 'JCB' as judge, jury and executioner," BJP's Adhikari wrote on X, along with the said video.
The videos of Taliban-like street justice that sent ripples across the nation, emerged from Chopra Bazar in West Bengal's Uttar Dinajpur district.
The incident in Chopra Bazar sparked widespread outrage from the opposition and raised serious concerns about the 'Taliban-like' law and order in the eastern state. One can only imagine the power of the accused and where he drew it from, that the onlookers dared not stop JCB from carrying out his salishi sabha (kangaroo court).
The National Commission for Women has taken cognizance of the Chopra incident.
"Disturbing report from Laxmikantapur, North Dinajpur, WB: A woman was brutally beaten by Tajemul, aka JCB, known for quick 'insaf' sabhas and ties with MLA Hamidur Rahaman. The NCW is deeply concerned about rising violence against women in WB," the NCW said in a post on X.
Tajimul Haque alias JCB, now arrested and sent to police custody, is said to be a close aide of Chopra MLA Hamidul Rahman of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress.
Locals say he earned the nickname 'JCB' because he "destroys his opposition", according to a report in the Indian Express. He is known to settle disputes of all kinds, ranging from property issues to extramarital affairs. In addition to the physical assaults, he also imposes fines, they say, noted the report.
The 37-year-old JCB, who was arrested by police on late Sunday evening, is already named in more than 10 criminal cases, including murder, attempted murder, criminal intimidation, and the Arms Act, the public prosecutor told ABP Ananda.
A 'right-hand man' of Chopra MLA Hamidul Rahman, JCB is also accused of shooting and killing a local CPI(M) leader during the 2023 West Bengal Panchayat election, according to a report on Aajtak Bangla.
"JCB is the chairman of the core committee of the Trinamool Congress in the Laxmipur Gram Panchayat. Allegedly, on the last day of filing nominations for the panchayat, CPM leader Mansur Ali was shot and killed. JCB is the main accused in this case as well," noted the report.
Following the arrest, JCB, the accused, was sent for medical examination.
Although, speaking to Aajtak Bangla, the Chopra MLA Hamidul Rahman refuted the allegations of his association with the now arrested perpetrator, multiple local opposition leaders have called him to be the 'right-hand man' of the TMC legislator.
Notably, Chopra MLA Hamidul Rahman, initially had shamelessly defended JCB's actions.
Rahman openly engaged in victim-shaming, while justifying the actions of such kangaroo courts. Reacting to the incident, Trinamool Congress MLA Rahaman called the woman victim an "evil beast" and said that her activities were 'unsocial' and 'unislamic'.
MLA Rahman, however, said that the 'incident went out of hand' and was unfortunate.
While trying to defend JCB's action, Chopra MLA Hamidul Rahman also mentioned justice being done based on principles of a 'Muslim Rashtra', resulting in sharp attacks from the BJP leaders, including Amit Malviya and Suvendu Adhikari.
"We condemn the incident. But the woman also did wrong. She left her husband, son, and daughter and became an evil beast. There is some code and justice according to Muslim rashtra. However, we do agree that what happened was a bit extreme. Tajimul Haque is not one of our party members, but still, we are looking into the matter at the ground level," Rahaman said in a video.
BJP's Bengal General Secretary Agnimitra Paul reacted sharply to Rahman's reference to 'Muslim Rashtra', and asked if Bengal had been declared an Islamic state where Sharia law had been implemented.
"Amazing! Finally, one politician from Didi's personal cabinet came out with the truth that West Bengal is slowly being turned to a Muslim state by the TMC honcho. Alas, it's not about Sharia law or Hindu law, it is about the rights and protection of any woman of the state, which is showing a massive decline in recent times," she told Aajtak Bangla.
"What is Mamata Banerjee up to? She has covered her eyes, ears and shut her mouth. Where are the so called "Buddhijibis [intellectuals]" who screamed their hearts out for the women in Hathras, Palestine and Iran? Why are they silent now?," she said, questioning the silence of the Trinamool Congress and its supremo Mamata Banerjee.
In another post, Paul said it seemed Taliban rule was going on in Chopra for quite some time, and the police, despite knowing everything, didn't act.
After a massive row erupted over the videos of JCB mercilessly flogging the couple came to light, opposition leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have held that such Taliban-styled (in)justice has been a norm in the state.
While the opposition's allegations could be debated, the emergence of a second video, resembling the barbaric act seen in the first, certainly reveals that there is more to JCB's reign of terror and misrule in Trinamool-led West Bengal than what meets the eye.
