In a dramatic turn of events in Kolkata, the West Bengal CID has refused to hand over Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), despite orders from the Calcutta High Court. This refusal came after the Mamata Banerjee government challenged the high court order directing them to transfer Shahjahan to the CBI.
The central agency, CBI, has been investigating a case related to an attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials by Shahjahan’s supporters in Sandeshkhali village on January 5. A three-member CBI team, accompanied by CRPF escorts, arrived at the CID headquarters, Bhabani Bhaban, on Tuesday to take custody of Shahjahan. He is also accused of land grabbing and sexual assault of women in Sandeshkhali.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the plea before the Supreme Court bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna. However, the top court directed him to mention it before the registrar general for further action.
Shahjahan, popularly known as ‘Bhai’ among his supporters, had managed to evade arrest following the attack on ED officials in the North 24 Parganas village. On February 18, several women came forward to accuse him and his aides Shibprasad Hazara and Uttam Sardar of raping them at the TMC office. The Calcutta High Court had clarified on February 26 that there was no stay on Shahjahan’s arrest and that he should be apprehended.
Finally, on March 1, the TMC leader was arrested from a house in North 24 Parganas district. Sandeshkhali has emerged as a flashpoint in Bengal politics, particularly in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) aggressively targeting the ruling TMC government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Hooghly, expressed his condemnation of the incident, stating, “The country is witnessing the plight of the sisters of Sandeshkhali. The entire nation is outraged. The party [BJP] exerted pressure on the government, leading to the arrest of the TMC leader by the police.”
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