The victim, Mahendra Bagri, an Assistant Sub Inspector from Shehdol, was fatally crushed on Saturday evening while attempting to stop the tractor from transporting the sand

A recent twist in the Sandeshkhali incident has thrown the political arena into turmoil as a ‘sting video’ has emerged, sparking heated debates and accusations between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The controversy ignited when the Trinamool Congress asserted that a ‘sting video’ had brought to light the BJP’s strategy to discredit them regarding the Sandeshkhali incident. Gangadhar Kayl, the BJP leader allegedly in the video, swiftly responded by filing a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), claiming manipulation through Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The video purportedly shows the BJP leader admitting that no rapes or sexual harassment had taken place and women were convinced to file such complaints at the directions of senior party leader Suvendu Adhikari.

Mr Kayl, in his complaint, claimed that his facial features and voice were manipulated using AI technology to fabricate the video.

“I have come across a video… where it can be seen that the same has been made using my face and the voice has been modulated using Artificial Intelligence,” he stated, emphasizing that the intention was to mislead the public and disrupt ongoing investigations.

Mr Kayl also accused Trinamool’s Abhishek Banerjee of orchestrating the conspiracy to protect the actual perpetrators of the Sandeshkhali incident. He highlighted discrepancies in the video, citing desynchronization between audio and video, obscured facial features, and poor audio quality, alluding to deliberate manipulation.

“The face of the speaker, cannot be seen properly and has been edited in such a way so that the face remains in the dark. Audio quality is not clear and to suffice that subtitles have been used and the same has been couched in such a way that can disturb the ongoing investigation,” the complaint alleged.

The BJP Sandeshkhali leader further, urged the CBI to investigate the said video footage.

The video surfaced at a time when West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, who had also hit out at the state government over the Sandeskhali allegations, was accused of sexual harassment by a temporary employee of the Raj Bhavan.

The women of Sandeshkhali had alleged that they were raped and sexually harassed by TMC strongman Shahjahan and his aides. This prompted massive protests by the Bengal BJP and snowballed into a major national political issue ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also attacked the Trinamool Congress and Ms Banerjee and accused them of shielding the leader, who was eventually arrested in February after being on the run for over 50 days.

A policeman was run over by a tractor carrying illegally mined sand in Madhya Pradesh late last evening, the police said.

Mahendra Bagri, Assistant Sub Inspector, Shahdol, had gone to the site to check illegal mining in the area along with two constables – Prasad Kanoji and Sanjay Dubey.

He was crushed to death when he tried to stop the speeding tractor carrying sand.

Mahendra Bagri died on the spot, while Mr Kanoji and Mr Dubey somehow managed to escape unhurt.

Officials said the driver and truck owner’s son have been arrested, while the owner of the tractor is on the run. “The driver of the tractor has been arrested and an inquiry is on. In the inquiry, it was revealed that the son of the owner of the tractor was also involved in it. He has also been arrested, ” DC Sagar, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Shahdol said.

Police have announced a reward of Rs 30,000 for any information leading to the truck’s owner Surendra Singh.

A case has been registered against the driver and sand mafia father-son duo — Ashutosh Singh and Surendra Singh, officials said.

Illegal sand mining is rampant in Madhya Pradesh, with hundreds of dumpers transporting sand from the banks of the Son River.

A Revenue Department official was crushed to death last year in November by a tractor allegedly belonging to the sand mafia in Shahdol.

Prasann Singh was crushed to death when he tried to stop a truck transporting illegally mined sand near Son River.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Aidal Singh Kansana was recently caught on camera saying that no action will be taken against sand mafias after Lok Sabha elections. “No stones will be thrown at anyone after elections. No one’s sand-laden or stone-laden tractor will be caught after the elections. If someone’s tractor is caught, then call me,” he said while addressing a rally in Gwalior.