Sandeshkhali violence: West Bengal Police arrests TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan from North 24 Parganas

Sandeshkhali violence news: West Bengal Police on Thursday morning arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan, accused of sexual violence and land grabbing by several women in Sandeshkhali, from the Minakhan area in North 24 Parganas.

Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested on Thursday after 55 days of being an absconder. The TMC leader has been taken to the Basirhat court, Minakhan SDPO Aminul Islam Khan said. 

"Sheikh Shahjahan, one of the principal accused in a case which happened on 5th January 2024 where ED officers were assaulted during the course of raid they were conducting... We arrested him yesterday night from Minakhan police area. We have forwarded Sheikh Shahjahan to Basirhat court... We will ask for police remand," ADG (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar said. 

Sandeshkhali has been a flashpoint since the past one month when several women came out and levelled allegations of "land-grab and sexual assault" under coercion against Shahjahan and his supporters. 

They also accused Shahjahan and his supporters of coercing villagers to withdraw complaints lodged by victims to the police. The women have also alleged non-payment of dues and a close nexus between criminals and the police.  

Shahjahan was absconding since January 5, when a mob of workers allegedly affiliated with him attacked Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials who went to search his premises in connection with a scam. 

West Bengal BJP on Sheikh Shahjahan's arrest

West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar said in a video message that the Mamata Banerjee-led state government was compelled to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan "due to the continuous agitation by the BJP." He further said that the government was in denial mode. 

"Due to the continuous agitation by the BJP, this government was compelled to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan. The government was in denial mode. They were not even accepting that anything as such had happened. I had already said that we would compel the government to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan. Today, due to the agitation of the BJP and the women of Sandeshkhali, government and Mamata Banerjee are compelled to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan," Majumdar said in his video message. 

Calcutta High Court raps WB government

Shahjahan's arrest by the West Bengal police comes days after the Calcutta High Court ordered the arrest of the TMC strongman and criticised the authorities for their inaction as the allegations were reported four years ago.

During the court proceedings, it was found that 43 FIRs were registered until December 2023, with 42 of them leading to filing of charge-sheets. The court also responded to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's claim that the Bengal government could not arrest Sheikh Shahjahan.

Banerjee claimed that the state government could not arrest Shahjahan due to the court "tying the hands of the police". In response, the court said that there is no interim order staying the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan and instructed officials to publish a public notice about legal actions initiated against Shahjahan. 

The High Court further said that a false impression has been created, suggesting there is an interim order staying the arrest. The court clarified that there is no such order. "Therefore, he should be arrested," the bench noted. The High Court will hear the case against Sheikh Shahjahan on March 4.