Fifty-six days after going underground following the mob attack on the Enforcement Directorate raiding party and its escort team of CRPF jawans, Shahjahan Shiekh, the Trinamool Congress leader of Sandeshkhali, was apprehended today barely 23 km from his home. In Sandeshkhali, women, who have been protesting the land-grab and sexual exploitation by Shahjahan and his followers, erupted in joy – blowing conch shells, smearing each other with gulal, ululating and distributing sweets.”
“This is the first piece of good news that we, the women of Sandeshkhali, have received in a long, long time. But we are not sure if this is a got-up game by the Trinamool Congress leadership,” said the lady who had mustered the courage to file the first complaint of rape against Shahjahan and his followers.
She told The Daily Guardian that the women were apprehensive about what would happen to them if Shahjahan was to be released since they felt the Trinamool Congress would influence the police to file only minor charges which carry a maximum punishment of two years.
A few days ago, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that Shahjahan had been “framed” and those raising fingers against him were “outsiders in Sandeshkhali”.
The State Police informed mediapersons that the fugitive Trinamool leader was arrested from his hideout in Bamunpukur in Minakhan block, which was just 23 km from his home Akunjipara in Sandeshkhali block.
This morning, clad in crisp white kurta and trousers and a grey jacket, the Sandeshkhali strongman strode into the court, followed by policemen, his body language defiant as he wagged his fingers at media persons shouting out questions to him. Even after his arrest, Shahjahan was not handcuffed, despite being an alleged “serious offender” who has murder and rape charges against him.
Bengal police, which arrested Shahjahan, maintained that the Calcutta High Court order had tied their hands. The court had subsequently clarified that it had not stopped the State police or the ED or CBI from arresting him.
In his interaction with the media, ADG (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar questioned why the central agency did not arrest Shahjahan.
At the press conference on Thursday morning, Supratim Sarkar admitted that only two cases had now been pressed against Shahjahan. He said all other cases filed were at the “complaint stage” and that investigations would take time. His statement is being seen as an attempt by the State authorities to play down the allegation by numerous villagers of large-scale atrocities by him and his “Cobra” team comprising about 70 motorcycle-borne youth.
Sources from the ED hit back, alleging that the pace of the strongman’s arrest showed that Shahjahan was with them.
“The High Court gives a clarification and Shahjahan is instantly arrested. This proves that he was with them all along. The court had paused action in one case. But why was Sheikh Shahjahan not arrested despite being named in three murder cases? He also faced a non-bailable warrant in connection with an attack on power department officials,” an ED officer said. “Why was he not arrested despite allegations of sexual harassment and land grab? We are watching the actions of the Bengal police.”
“We had information that there was a huge cache of arms and cash worth crores at his home. That’s why the mob attack was engineered and Shahjahan was helped to flee. The role of Bengal Police and Government in hiding away the arms, cash and Shahjahan’s phones must be investigated,” the ED official said, adding that custodial interrogation of the strongman was required
Advocate Raja Bhowmick, Sheikh Shahjahan’s lawyer, said: “The police sought 14 days custody of Sheikh Shahjahan but the court gave 10 days…on 10th March, he will be produced in court again.”
Shahjahan Sheikh’s close aide Aamir Ali Gazi has been arrested by West Bengal Police from Jharkhand, Aminul Islam Khan, the Minakhan SDPO, said.
In another development, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday said that a PIL praying for transfer of investigation into alleged sexual assault of women to the CBI or an SIT would be listed for hearing on Monday, along with a suo motu motion on the issue. The suo motu motion of the court pertains to allegations of sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing of tribals in Sandeshkhali. Petitioner-lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava requested the court that his PIL be taken up on Monday along with the suo motu motion. The Division Bench, presided by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam said the PIL would be listed for hearing along with the suo motu matter on Monday. It also summoned Sheikh Shahjahan’s lawyer to appear before it on March 4.
