On Wednesday, the Calcutta High Court took a significant step by ordering the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look into allegations of crimes against women and land grabbing in the Sandeshkhali area of West Bengal. This decision came after a hearing where lawyers presented concerns over these alleged offenses and requested the transfer of the investigation from local police to CBI. The division bench, consisting of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, passed the order.
The primary accused, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan, along with two TMC-run zilla parishad members, Uttam Sardar and Shibu Hazra, had already been apprehended by the state police. Shahjahan, who had been evading arrest for 55 days, was finally taken into custody on February 28. Currently, he is under the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after being questioned by the CBI regarding allegations of orchestrating an attack on an ED team that raided his residence on January 5.
The High Court’s order not only mandated CBI’s investigation into the attack on ED officers but also expanded its scope to include charges of extortion, land grabbing, and sexual exploitation-related crimes reported by Sandeshkhali residents. Allegations suggest that TMC leaders exploited land for saltwater fisheries, rendering the soil unsuitable for cultivation.
To facilitate the investigation process, the court instructed CBI to establish a dedicated portal and email address for receiving complaints from the public. Additionally, the agency has been empowered to summon any state government officer to aid in its investigation. The court emphasized that these offenses were not limited to Sandeshkhali alone but extended to adjacent regions as well.
In its directives, the High Court mandated full cooperation from state officials with the CBI and immediate installation of security cameras and streetlights across Sandeshkhali. Lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal, representing the victims, highlighted the severity of the complaints, including over 100 affidavits filed by alleged survivors of sexual assault, with one woman claiming to have been repeatedly raped for 13 days.
This significant order from the High Court coincided with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s address at a BJP Lok Sabha campaign rally in Balurghat, where he criticized the TMC government’s handling of the Sandeshkhali issue. BJP State President Sukanta Majumdar welcomed the court’s decision, calling it a historic step toward exposing the atrocities faced by Sandeshkhali residents.
However, TMC State Vice-President Jay Prakash Majumdar expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of a CBI probe, citing concerns over delay and inefficiency. Despite such reservations, the High Court’s order marks a pivotal moment in addressing the allegations of crimes and exploitation in the Sandeshkhali area, promising a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter.
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