Child trafficking accused blames BJP leader for wrongdoing

Jalpaiguri child trafficking accused Chandana Chakraborty, arrested with two aides this month, on Tuesday put the blame of wrongdoing on BJP leader Juhi Chowdhury.

Chakraborty, Chairperson of a Jalpaiguri-based child adoption centre Bimala Sishu Griho in West Bengal, was arrested with Chief Adoption Officer Sonali Mondal for allegedly selling at least 17 children with shady adoption deals.

The CID later arrested Manas Bhowmik in connection with the case. Her links with the woman BJP leader, now allegedly in hiding, are also being probed.

"Juhi Chowdhury is involved with the adoption centre for the last three years. If something wrong or immoral was done, it was done by her. Why am I being victimized? I am not the culprit," Chakraborty said.

She admitted going to Delhi with Chowdhury to seek "help" for her organisation and claimed the BJP leader did all the negotiations with the senior leadership while she was in a different room.

"Juhi assured me she would sort out all the issues," Chakraborty said.

"I haven't talked to anyone, Juhi did. She might have talked to Roopa Ganguly and Kailash Vijayvargiya. I was sitting in a separate room. We are innocent. We will definitely help in the investigation," she added.

Denying the allegations, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh claimed Chowdhury was being victimized as part of a larger political conspiracy.

"Juhi was not a part of their (child adoption centre) committee. She has been dragged into the case as she went to Delhi with her (Chakraborty)... If Juhi is found guilty, the law will take its course," Ghosh said.

The BJP leader said he won't permit his party workers to go to jail for no real reason.

"She might be in hiding looking at the recent trend in Bengal politics... I hope she comes out to face the law. There is no pride in going to jail like a fool for no reason," he added.

--IANS

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