Probe Agency Raids In Bengal’s Sandeshkhali Days After Sheikh Shahjahan’s Arrest

The Enforcement Directorate today conducted raids at several locations in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali over land grabbing allegations against Trinamool Congress strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his associates.

The probe agency, along with paramilitary forces, conducted raids at four locations today.

The raids comes just days after Shahjahan, who also faces allegations of sexual abuse, was arrested by the Bengal police. The allegations by residents of Sandeshkhali, an island in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, have raised a political storm in the state. Shahjahan, who is at the centre of these allegations, was arrested last month after he was on the run for 55 days. What followed was a dramatic tug of war between central agencies and state police for the strongman’s custody.

On one occasion, the state cops refused to hand him over, pointing to the state government’s challenge to the high court in Supreme Court. The high court, however, held that its order had not been paused and directed Bengal police to hand over Shahjahan to CBI.