Sandeshkhali case: Trinamool’s Sheikh Shahjahan arrested by West Bengal police

Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides are among the key accused in cases of land grab and sexual harassment that surfaced following violent protests in Sandeshkhali island of North 24 Parganas district.  

Absconding Trinamool Congress leader and the party’s strongman in Sandeshkhali Shahjahan Sheikh has been arrested  after 55 days by West Bengal Police early on Thursday from the Minakhan area in North 24 Parganas and taken to Basirhat court, news agency PTI reported.

According to officials, Sheikh was detained from the Minakhan fish farming area and will appear at Basirhat court. He was apprehended from his hiding place, a residence in Minakhah, North 24 Parganas district, according to the police. 

In charges of land grab and sexual harassment that arose after violent protests in Sandeshkhali island of North 24 Parganas district, Sheikh and his associates are among the main accused. Since a group of Sheikh's followers attacked a group of ED personnel outside his Sandeshkhali home on January 5, Sheikh has remained missing. In relation to the ration "scam," the squad had gone to his home to search it.

This came a day after the Calcutta High Court directed that the TMC leader can be arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or the West Bengal Police. The court made it clear on Monday that Sheikh's arrest is not under stay, and that the order to form a Special Investigation Team on February 7 to look into claims that ED officers were attacked while attempting to raid Sheikh's residence (on January 5) was the only one that was postponed. The bench chastised the state administration throughout the hearing for not apprehending Sheikh for over 50 days.

Since the beginning of February, Sandeshkhali has seen numerous demonstrations against local strongman Sheikh, with women alleging his close aides, Uttam Sardar and Shivprasad Hazra, of sexual harassment. Even as the police work to bring calm back to the region, the demonstrations have led both the TMC and the BJP taking potshots at one another.