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.

Basirhat:

A court in West Bengal’s Basirhat on Sunday extended the CBI custody of Shahjahan Sheikh, key accused in a mob attack on ED officials at Sandeshkhali, by another four days on a prayer by the central agency.

The Central Bureau of Investigation got custody of Sheikh on March 6 along with transfer of investigation on an order of the Calcutta High Court.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials were attacked when they went to raid the now suspended Trinamool Congress leader’s premises at Sandeshkhali.

The judge of the Basirhat court in North 24 Parganas district granted extension of Sheikh’s custody to CBI by four days on a request by the central agency.

The court directed that Sheikh be produced before it again on March 14.

Sheikh was produced before the Basirhat court, around 70 km away from Kolkata where he is in CBI custody, under tight security.

ED officials were attacked by an around 1000-strong mob when they went to search the premises of Sheikh at Sandeshkhali on January 5 in connection with the agency’s investigation into an alleged ration distribution scam case, in which a former minister of the state has been arrested.

Sheikh was arrested by the state police on February 29 a day after the high court ordered that the CBI, ED or the West Bengal police could arrest him.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kolkata:

Adding a new twist to the face-off between Bengal police and the CBI over the custody of Sandeshkhali strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, the Calcutta High Court today set a new deadline for the Bengal cops to hand him over to the central agency.

A bench of Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya has now asked Bengal police to hand over Shahjahan’s custody to CBI by 4.15 pm today.

The high court had yesterday asked Bengal police to hand over the expelled Trinamool Congress leader to the CBI by 4,30 pm. The Mamata Banerjee government challenged the ruling in the Supreme Court. When a CBI team reached to take Shahjahan’s custody yesterday, it was told that the matter is before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, however, turned down the Bengal government’s request for an urgent hearing.

The state government has said that the high court order is against the concept of federalism. Appearing for the Bengal government, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “Urgency is that they wanted overnight compliance in an interim order.” A bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna has now asked the state government to raise the matter before Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud for listing of the petition.

The high court today noted that it is serious about the implementation of its order. “The Supreme Court has not ordered a stay. So Shahjahan must be handed over to the CBI by 4.15 pm today,” it said.

The high court also issued a notice of contempt and asked the Criminal Investigation Department of Bengal police to file an affidavit within two weeks.

Sheikh Shahjahan is at the centre of the political storm surrounding Sandeshkhali island in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. Residents of the island have accused Shahjahan and his aides of harassment, land grab and extortion.

The strongman first made headlines in January when an Enforcement Directorate team came under a mob attack during a raid on his properties. He was then on the run for 52 days before Bengal police arrested him. The BJP, which has been accusing the Trinamool Congress of shielding the strongman and has stressed that only a probe by the central agencies would ensure justice for the people of Sandeshkhali.

The Trinamool has expelled Shahjahan for six years. Hitting back at the BJP charge, it has questioned why the central agencies could not arrest the strongman for so long.

Kolkata:

Amid the tug of war between Bengal Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the custody of Sandeshkhali strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a meeting today at Barasat. Barasat is in the same North 24 Parganas district as Sandeshkhali, an island that has emerged as the biggest talking point in Bengal ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

The Prime Minister’s event is expected to be attended by some women from Sandeshkhali, which has made national headlines over allegations of sexual harassment, land grab and extortion against local Trinamool leaders led by Shahjahan. The BJP plans to get women from the island to the Prime Minister’s event as it slams the Trinamool government over women’s safety issues.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Bengal comes amid a face-off between the CBI and the state police over the custody of Shahjahan. Arrested after being on the run for 52 days, he has been expelled by the Mamata Banerjee-led party. He is currently with Bengal police, but the BJP has alleged that people of the island will not get any justice till he is grilled by the central agency.

The Calcutta High Court yesterday directed Bengal police to hand over Shahjahan’s custody to CBI, noting that “it has become imperative and absolutely necessary for doing complete justice and enforcing the fundamental rights of the public in general and the public of the locality that the cases be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation for investigation”.

Soon after, the Trinamool government approached the Supreme Court to challenge the high court order and sought an urgent hearing. The request for an urgent hearing was turned down, and the Bengal government was asked to mention its plea before the Registrar-General for a date, as per rules. The state government has told the Supreme Court that they were given sufficient time to seek legal remedy against the high court order. 

Bengal police, meanwhile, refused to hand over the strongman to a CBI team that had reached its office to take custody. The state police maintained that the matter is before the Supreme Court and the handover must take place only after a court ruling.

The BJP is leaving no stone unturned to keep the Sandeshkhali issue alive as it goes into the polls. For the party to achieve its target of winning 370 Lok Sabha seats, it must maximise its wins in Opposition-ruled states such as Bengal. And the serious allegations against Trinamool leaders have come as a great political opportunity for the BJP.

Ahead of the Barasat event, the Prime Minister inaugurated several routes of Kolkata Metro. The highlight is the country’s first underwater Metro rail stretch – the train will pass under the surface of the Ganga river. The Prime Minister also took a ride in the Metro, and visuals showed him chatting with a group of schoolgoers. 

Kolkata:

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday handed custody of Sheikh Shahjahan – the former Trinamool strongman accused of extortion, land grab, and sexual assault in Bengal’s Sandeshkhali – to the CBI.

Bengal Police have till 4.30 pm to hand over Shahjahan and all relevant case materials.

The Bengal government moved swiftly to challenge the order in the Supreme Court, but its appeal for an immediate hearing has been turned down. The top court said it would proceed per the rules and asked senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi to mention the plea before its Registrar-General.

A High Court bench led by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam set aside an earlier order setting up a special investigative team – of CBI and state police officials – and transferred the case to the central agency.

Both the Enforcement Directorate and the state moved separate challenges to that order; the ED wanted the case to be given to the CBI only, while the state wanted the police to handle the probe.

Sheikh Shahjahan had been on the run since January 5, when a team of Enforcement Directorate officials were attacked by a mob of his supporters while en route to conduct raids.

The attack and Shahjahan’s disappearance sparked a huge political row; the ruling Trinamool was targeted by the BJP, which accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s party of protecting him.

On the run for 55 days, Shahjahan was finally arrested by a special police team and suspended from the Trinamool for six years. His arrest came three days after the High Court ordered his arrest.

READ | Sandeshkhali Accused Shahjahan, On The Run For 55 Days, Arrested

An angry court was responding to allegations by Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee, who said the judiciary had “tied” the state’s hands and that his party was not “guarding” the accused.

“I want to put this on record… Trinamool is not guarding Shahjahan. Judiciary is. Lift the stay and see what police does…” he had said in response to the BJP’s allegations.

READ | Arrest Trinamool Strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, Says Calcutta High Court

The court shot back, saying, “Shahjahan obviously needs to be arrested.” “We clarify there is no stay on arrest in any proceeding. He is absconding,” the court declared.

READ | “Mutual Adjustment”: BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari On Shahjahan’s Arrest

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari – a former Trinamool leader and close aide of Ms Banerjee – declared, “This is not an arrest; this is a mutual adjustment.”

The Shahjahan-Sandeshkhali row was the focus of a sharp attack by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was in Bengal last week. Mr Modi also accused the Trinamool of shielding its former member, and slammed Ms Banerjee for valuing “some people” over the suffering of women.

READ | PM’s Big Charge Against Mamata, INDIA Over Sandeshkhali

Referring to the party’s ‘Maa, Maati, Manush‘ (Mother, Land, and People) slogan, he declared, “What has been done to women in Sandeshkhali by Trinamool… has made the country angry.”

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A day after Sandeshkhali strongman Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested in connection with the mob attack on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team, Trinamool Congress suspended him from the party for six years.

In a press meet to announce the move, the party’s leaders slammed the BJP and dared it to act against tainted leaders in its ranks.

Senior party leader Derek O’Brien said the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress stands by the people and takes “no nonsense, whoever you are”. “If you have hurt or are alleged to have hurt the people, we walk the talk,” he said.

Bengal minister Bratya Basu questioned why the BJP has not acted against leaders such as Himanta Biswa Sarma despite several allegations against them. “The BJP is not Trinamool Congress that it will suspend a leader as soon as he is arrested. Because the other name of BJP is washing machine. So if someone from our party is suspended and then seen in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally, we won’t be surprised,” he said.

The Trinamool leader said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had told Calcutta High Court to stop Bengal police from arresting Sheikh Shahjahan, who was on the run for 55 days. “They wanted to keep the Sandeshkhali issue alive till the Prime Minister’s Bengal trip. After our leader Abhishek Banerjee’s remark on the high court’s stay and the court’s clarification, we went ahead and arrested Sheikh Shahjahan,” the minister said. “Only Trinamool Congress can set such an example.” The minister said the people must remember the example of “raj dharma” set by Ms Banerjee.

Trinamool MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar questioned why the ED did not arrest Shahjahan for so long.

Senior Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee had earlier claimed that a high court that paused the probe against the strongman had tied up the Bengal police’s hands. The court later clarified the state cops were free to arrest the strongman.

The Sandeshkhali strongman is at the centre of serious allegations levelled by residents of the island in North 24 Parganas district. The residents have accused Shahjahan and his aides of land grab and extortion. Charges of sexual harassment have also surfaced.

Shahjahan was on the run for 55 days, and the BJP had accused the ruling Trinamool of shielding him. Following his arrest, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said it was a “mutual agreement” between the strongman and Bengal cops. “Unless central agencies take him into their custody, people there won’t get justice,” he has said.

Sharing a video in which Shahjahan is seen entering a Bengal court, BJP leader Amit Malviya said Bengal police “is escorting Sheikh Shahjahan like they would escort CM Mamata Banerjee”.

“All these days, Sheikh Shahjahan was under the protection of WB Police. As soon as Calcutta High Court allowed ED and CBI to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan, Mamata Banerjee’s police took control of him,” he alleged.

West Bengal’s Leader of Opposition (LoP), Suvendu Adhikari, has raised eyebrows over the arrest of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan, stating, “This is not an arrest; this is a mutual adjustment.”

“Bhaskar Mukherjee (DIG, Malda Range), took him (Sheikh Shahjahan) in the car to Palta and then to Bhushi Ratil. This is not arrest, this is a mutual adjustment. Unless the central agencies take him into their custody, the people there won’t get justice. There is no protection from the court and this is not an interlocutory stay. This misconception has been created by the leaders of TMC and the police. I am again and again saying that it’s not an arrest; it’s a mutual adjustment,” Suvendu Adhikari said.

The LoP’s statements add a layer of controversy to the arrest, with Adhikari alleging that Shahjahan would enjoy “5-star facilities in jail.”

“He will get 5-star facilities in jail. He will use his mobile phone inside and control the area from there. He will engage in illegal activities and thuggery from inside the jail,” Suvendu Adhikari said.

Amid tension in Sandeshkhali, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police today in the morning in connection with allegations of ‘sexual assault and land grab,’ officials said.”

Shahjahan was arrested from Minakhan in the North 24 Parganas district,” Minakhan SDPO Aminul Islam Khan told ANI.”

He will be produced before the Basirhat Court at 2 pm today,” the SDPO added.

Shahjahan had been evading arrest by both state and central agencies for over a month.

Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district has been witnessing widespread protests against TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh this month as a section of women were seeking justice against alleged atrocities committed by the TMC leader.

A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused Shajahan Sheikh and his close aides of “land-grab and sexual assault” under coercion.

The arrest comes three days after the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice ordered the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan in the Sandeshkhali case.

Meanwhile, Suvendu Adhikari, along with BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh, is on the way to Sandeshkhali after Calcutta High Court on Wednesday allowed them to visit the area.

On Wednesday, the Calcutta High Court allowed the six members of an independent fact-finding team by the Centre, led by a former judge of the Patna High Court, to go to battleground Sandeshkhali on Friday.

The six-member team, headed by Justice Narsimha Reddy, former Chief Justice of Patna High Court, also comprised of fellow members Charu Bali Khanna, Bhavna Bajaj, OP Vyas, Rajpal Singh, Aparna Banerjee and Bandana Biswas.

The fact-finding team is scheduled to visit Majherpara, Natunpara, and Naskarpara localities in Sandeshkhali.

Justice Kaushik Chandra of the HC bench also allowed Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari to go to Sandeshkhali on Thursday on the condition that he should not be making any inflammatory comments during his visit.

New Delhi:

After being on the run for 55 days, Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan was today arrested on charges of torture, sexual harassment, and land grabbing in Bengal’s Sandeshkhali. The arrest has sparked a political slugfest between the ruling TMC and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In a late-night operation, a special team of the Bengal police arrested Sheikh Shahjahan from a house in North 24 Parganas district. The leader and his associates have been accused of sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing in Sandeshkhali.

Soon after the arrest, Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that the state police went ahead with the arrest as soon as the legal hurdles were cleared.

“Due to a legal tangle, he couldn’t be arrested initially. However, after the court clarified that there was no stay on his arrest, the West Bengal Police did its job,” Mr Ghosh said.

Mr Ghosh accused the opposition of exploiting the earlier “embargo” on Sheikh’s arrest.

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday had directed that Sheikh could be arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), or the West Bengal Police. This decision came after Monday’s directive, where the court ordered the state police to arrest Sheikh within seven days.

“We had said he would be arrested in seven days as we were confident of the ability of the state police,” stated Mr Ghosh.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has dubbed the arrest a scripted drama. BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya claimed, “It was TMC and the state police which were shielding the culprits. He has been arrested now as a part of a well-scripted story.”

Main accused in the Sandeshkhali Case #SheikhShahjahan, who was on the run for more than 50 days, arrested.@Vasudha156 and @RatnadipC reporthttps://t.co/Ltj4mpb6Lapic.twitter.com/T6DG4x6vlM

— NDTV (@ndtv) February 29, 2024

The BJP had earlier alleged that Sheikh was in the “safe custody” of the state police since Tuesday night. The conflicting narratives between the two political parties have added fuel to the already intense political atmosphere in West Bengal.

The Sandeshkhali area, situated on the borders of the Sundarbans, has been gripped by unrest for over a month. The protests stem from accusations of sexual abuse and land grabbing against Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters.

Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had said that she has “never allowed injustice” and accused the Opposition party of inciting trouble on the island in North 24 Parganas district.

“I have never allowed injustice in my life. I sent (representatives of) the state women’s commission (to Sandeshkhali) immediately and 17 people have been arrested,” Ms Banerjee said in the Assembly, shortly after main Opposition BJP staged a walkout over the raging issue earlier this month.

South 24 Parganas (West Bengal):

In response to Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s allegations on Sunday that the state police is not able to arrest Sandeshkhali prime accused, Sheikh Shahjahan due to legal complications, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that Mr Banerjee is lying and he should apologise.

“He (Abhishek Banerjee) is lying which he should not, he is a Member of Parliament. Why Calcutta High Court will shield a criminal? Torture of women is not a trivial offence. The High Court cannot save him. No court or judge can save him. He has lied, saying that the police could not arrest him due to a High Court stay order. He should apologise. It is a crime to lie,” Mr Rijiju said speaking to reporters on Tuesday.

Speaking on the alleged poor state of law and order in the state, the Union Minister said, “There is no law and order in West Bengal. They are misusing the police.”

Showing support to the women protesters in Sandeshkhali, Mr Rijiju said, “The entire nation stands with the women of Sandeshkhali.”

The Union Minister shared that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita as well as the Women’s Reservation Bill were brought about by the Narendra Modi government for the empowerment of women.

“We have changed the criminal code of the entire country from the perspective of justice under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. We have passed the Women’s Reservation Bill. Women throughout the country as well as from West Bengal are going to bless PM Modi,” Mr Rijiju said.

Earlier on Sunday, Abhishek Banerjee claimed that his party is not defending missing leader Sheikh Shahjahan, but the High Court has tied the hands of the state police.

“The masters and defenders of human rights are saying in the light every day, arrest him, arrest him, what will the police do if the High Court ties their hands? ED officials were assaulted on January 5, the Calcutta High Court constituted a SIT in the incident. The ED appealed and sought a stay on the verdict. The Chief Justice’s bench allowed that request. On March 6, there will be a hearing. How will the police arrest if the High Court ties the hands of the state police administration? The police should be given 15 days or a month to take action based on the FIR,” Mr Banerjee said.

The Calcutta High Court Chief Justice, however, on Monday ordered to add Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan to the Sandeshkhali case.

The High Court Justice asked to issue a notice in the case and said, “There is no reason to not arrest him.”

“Public notice shall be given in this case. There is no stay order in Sandeshkhali cases. There is no reason to not arrest him,” the Court said.

Following this, the Trinamool Congress party said that Sheikh Shahjahan will be arrested in a week.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today registered a case against Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, the central figure in the Sandeshkhali row in West Bengal, on money laundering charges. 

Raids are underway at Sheikh Shahjahan’s house and six other locations. 

The women in Sandeshkhali have accused Sheikh Shahjahan of involvement in land-grabbing activities and perpetrating sexual assault, allegedly through coercive means.

Shahjahan has been evading law enforcement since a mob, allegedly linked to him, attacked ED officials during a search operation related to a ration scam on January 5. The incident not only heightened tensions but also raised concerns about the influence and power wielded by Shahjahan and his supporters in the region.

The situation has led to a crackdown by the state police, resulting in the arrest of Shahjahan’s aides, Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar. However, Shahjahan remains missing. With 17 arrests made so far, the police are urging villagers to come forward with their complaints, organising camps in the area to address concerns related to land grab and extortion.

The BJP has accused the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress of shielding its strongman.