Kumar Siddhartha, Pune
On February 28, West Bengal police arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan. He was arrested for the multiple allegations made against him by the villagers at Sandeshkhali. The allegations are of grabbing land and also of sexual abuse. He was sent to 10 days in police custody in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on February 29 by a court.
The criminal investigation department of the West Bengal police has taken over the investigation. The case was lodged under the Nazat station in the complaint submitted by the Deputy Director of the Enforcement Directorate regarding the assault on ED officials on January 5. Along with other charges, there are 307 (attempt to murder), 353 (criminal force against a public servant), and 326 (grievous hurt) charges against Mr. Shahjahan.
A team of ED officials were attacked during a raid on Mr. Shahjahan’s residence on January 5 in the state’s Sandeshkhali area. However, the arrest happened 55 days hence. Supratim Sarkar, Additional Directorate General (South Bengal) of West Bengal Police, said that they arrested Sheikh Shahjahan, one of the prime accused in the attack on ED officials during a raid on January 5th, 2024, from the Minakhan area yesterday night.
He was brought to the court in Basirhat after his arrest, where the state police sought 14 days of custody, but the court only granted 10 days. After the court in Basirhat, the state police brought him to the West Bengal Police Headquarters at Bhawani Bhawan. Kunal Ghosh, spokesperson for TMC, told PTI that he couldn’t be arrested initially because of legal tangles. After the court clarified there was no stay on arrest, the West Bengal police did their job. The embargo on Mr. Shahjahan’s arrest was exploited by the opposition earlier.
The Calcutta High Court clarified earlier this week that there was no stay on the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan. The court has also expressed surprise as to why he couldn’t have been arrested. A lot of different teams, including the National Human Rights Commission, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, and the National Commission for Women, have been visiting the Sandeshkhali to record the allegations made by the villagers.
Hours after the arrest, TMC suspended Shahjahan for 6 years.