News Analysis India

Tag: sheikh shahjahan

  • NIA Team Probing Medinipur Blast Case Stopped By Protesters In West Bengal, Car Vandalised |

    Kolkata: In a distressing repetition of past events, a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) encountered stiff resistance in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, while conducting investigations related to a blast case on Saturday. The latest incident is reminiscent of a similar attack on the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) team in Sandeshkhali, North 24 Parganas where the officers were besieged and allegedly assaulted during a raid linked to an alleged food scam.

    According to sources within the NIA, the team dispatched to Purba Medinipur faced hostility during their probe into the blast case. Reports indicate that the vehicle transporting the NIA officers was targeted and vandalized amidst efforts to apprehend a suspect connected to the ongoing investigation.

    A video footage circulating on social media purportedly depicts residents gathering around the NIA vehicle, attempting to obstruct the apprehension of the suspect. The situation escalated as villagers resorted to pelting the vehicle with stones, further escalating tensions.

     

    #WATCH | West Bengal: NIA officers had to face protesters in Sandeshkhali while they were carrying out an investigation in connection with the Bhupatinagar, East Medinipur blast case. People allegedly tried to stop the NIA team from taking the accused persons along with them.… pic.twitter.com/UVoAO6uuPQ
    — ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2024

     

    Sandeshkhali, situated within the Sundarbans, has become a focal point of political discourse following allegations of sexual abuse and land encroachment against suspended TMC politician Shajahan Sheikh and his associates. The recent remarks by the Calcutta High Court condemning the events in Sandeshkhali also underscored the gravity of the situation.

    Earlier this year, Shahjahan Sheikh, the suspended TMC leader, triggered a political storm when an ED team conducting a raid at his residence in connection with a ration scam was met with mob violence. This incident came as a grim reminder of the escalating tensions and recurring confrontations in the region.

  • Mamata Banerjee Govt Refuses To Hand Over Sheikh Shahjahan To CBI Despite HC Order |

    Kolkata: In a dramatic turn of events, the West Bengal government on Tuesday chose defiance over compliance, refusing to surrender custody of Sandeshkhali violence accused Sheikh Shahjahan to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) despite a clear directive from the Calcutta High Court. The former Trinamool heavyweight stands accused of a litany of charges, including extortion, land grabbing, and sexual assault in Bengal’s Sandeshkhali region.

    HC Order Ignored: CBI Left Empty-Handed

    Despite the High Court’s explicit instruction to transfer Shahjahan’s custody to the police’s criminal investigation department (CID), the state government held its ground, citing an appeal to the Supreme Court as justification. Consequently, a CBI team dispatched to claim custody departed from Kolkata’s police headquarters without their intended prize, leaving the legal tug-of-war unresolved.

     

    #WATCH | CBI team left from police headquarters in Kolkata. West Bengal CID did not hand over custody of Sheikh Shahjahan to CBI as the state government went to the Supreme Court regarding this matter. pic.twitter.com/sAJeWoihYK
    — ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2024

     

    Assets Frozen: ED Cracks Down

    Simultaneously, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) made significant strides in its pursuit of justice, provisionally attaching assets totaling Rs 12.78 Crore linked to Shahjahan and his associates. The seizure, which includes a variety of immovable properties and bank accounts under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002, underscores the gravity of the allegations against the former Trinamool leader.

    High Court’s Scathing Rebuke

    The Calcutta High Court did not mince words in its assessment of the state police’s handling of the case, lambasting their perceived bias and advocating for a thorough investigation by the CBI. Echoing the sentiments of many, the court emphasized the need for impartiality and integrity in resolving the accusations against Shahjahan.

    BJP’s Allegations; Sandeshkhali’s Unrest

    The arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan has not quelled the storm of controversy surrounding his actions. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of sheltering Shahjahan from the scrutiny of federal investigative agencies, suggesting political motivations behind his sudden apprehension.

    Meanwhile, Sandeshkhali continues to reverberate with protests, as women in the community demand justice for the alleged atrocities committed by Shahjahan and his cohorts. Their voices, amplified by widespread discontent, serve as a potent reminder of the stakes involved in this ongoing saga of power, politics, and justice.

  • BREAKING: Sheikh Shahjahan, Arrested Over Sandeshkhali Unrest, Suspended From TMC For Six Years |

    North 24 Parganas: Hours after arrest, the Trinamool Congress on Thursday suspended strongman Shahjahan Sheikh for six years. “We have decided to Suspend Sheikh Shahjahan from the party for six years,” TMC leader Derek O’Brien said in Kolkata. 

     

    #WATCH | TMC leader Derek O’Brien in Kolkata announces, “TMC has decided to suspend Sheikh Shahjahan from the party for six years.” pic.twitter.com/AYq3wtktBR
    — ANI (@ANI) February 29, 2024

     

    Earlier today, West Bengal’s Basirhat Court remanded Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan to 10-day police custody. Lawyer Raja Bhowmick, who represented Shahjahan in court, said, “14-day police custody (of Sheikh Shahjahan) was demanded, but the court allowed 10-day custody.” “On March 10, he will be produced in court again,” Raja Bhowmick said. 

    Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police on Thursday morning in connection with an alleged assault on ED officers during a raid in January earlier this year.

    West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose called Shahjahan’s arrest an ‘eye-opener’, adding that it is only the ‘beginning’. “Today in Bengal, we see the beginning of an end. The arrest of the prime accused in the Sandeshkhali incidents is an eye-opener for everyone. This is only the beginning. We have to put an end to violence in Bengal,” Ananda Bose said.

    “In many pockets of Bengal, we all realise that gangsters are ruling unchecked by law enforcement agencies. What we see is only the tip of the iceberg. ‘Gundaraj’ is very much there in many pockets of Bengal. Strong action has to be taken. This has to be nipped in the bud,” he added.

    He further said that considerate action should be taken to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

    “We have to wait. In democratic governance, we have to wait for justice to be done. If any lapses have taken place from the government or any other authority, we still have time to look into that,” the governor said.

    “Now, what is required is a considerate action to see that these kinds of things do not happen in future. Action has to be taken against a particular culprit who has been apprehended. My suggestion for all the gangsters is – treat this as an occasion to surrender, otherwise, preventive action has to be taken,” he added.

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

    Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the arrest was a ‘mutual adjustment’. “This is not an arrest, this is a mutual adjustment. Unless the central agencies take him into their custody, the people there won’t get justice. He will get five-star facilities in jail. He will use his mobile phone inside and control the area from there,” the LoP said while speaking to reporters while on the way to Sandeshkhali on Thursday.

    Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district had 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.

  • Dilip Ghosh slams West Bengal govt, ‘Sandeshkhali just a trailer; TMC saving Shajahan Sheikh’ – The Economic Times Video

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Dilip Ghosh has alleged that Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) strong man and a prime accused in Sandeshkhali violence and atrocities against women, Sheikh Shahjahan, brought “votes” and “money” to TMC and that’s why he is not getting arrested. “What is happening in Sandeshkhali is just a trailer, same type of incidents are going to happen in every village of West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee and TMC are saving Shajahan Sheikh. All the teams and delegations are being stopped from going to Sandeshkhali and Mamata Banerjee feels like, this way they can suppress this incident, but this is not possible…”, Dilip Ghosh said.