Sandeshkhali Rape Accused Sheikh Shahjahan Arrested, Suspended from Trinamool Congress

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Feb 29: Within hours of his arrest and remand to police custody, the Trinamool Congress strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, the prime Sandeshkhali rape and vandalism accused, was on Thursday suspended from the party for six years.

In a press meet to announce the move, the party’s leaders slammed the BJP and dared it to act against tainted leaders in its ranks. Senior party leader Derek O’Brien said the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress stand by the people and take “no nonsense, whoever you are.” “If you have hurt or are alleged to have hurt the people, we walk the talk,” he said.

Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested on Wednesday night by the West Bengal police. Shahjahan, against whom multiple allegations of land grab and sexual assault have been made by villagers at Sandeshkhali, was sent to 10 days in police custody by a court in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Thursday.

The West Bengal police’s criminal investigation department has taken over the investigation in the case lodged under Nazat police station in the complaint filed by the Deputy Director of the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the attack of ED officials on January 5. The charges against Shahjahan included 307 (attempt to murder) 353 (criminal force against public servant) and 326 (grievous hurt), among other charges.

He was produced before the court in Basirhat around 10.40 a.m. after his arrest in the early hours. The State police sought 14 days of custody, but the court granted 10 days. Shahjahan was later brought to West Bengal Police Headquarters at Bhawani Bhawan in Kolkata from Basirhat.

The arrest came 55 days after a team of Enforcement Directorate officials was attacked during a raid at his residence on January 5 in the State’s Sandeshkhali area. “We have arrested Sheikh Shahjahan, one of the prime accused in the attack on ED officials during a raid on January 5, 2024, from Minakha area yesterday night,” said Supratim Sarkar, Additional Directorate General (South Bengal) of West Bengal police.

“Due to a legal tangle, he couldn’t be arrested initially. However, after the court clarified that there was no stay on his arrest, the West Bengal police did its job. The Opposition had earlier exploited the embargo on his arrest,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

Sandeshkhali has been on the boil since the first week of February after allegations of sexual assault on women and land grabs against Trinamool Congress leaders came to the fore. Local Trinamool leaders Shiboprasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar, close aides of Shahjahan, have been arrested by the police against whom charges of sexual assault were levelled, but Shahjahan, the alleged mastermind, had so far evaded the security agencies.

West Bengal minister Bratya Basu said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had told Calcutta High Court to stop Bengal police from arresting Sheikh Shahjahan, who was on the run for 55 days. “They wanted to keep the Sandeshkhali issue alive till the Prime Minister’s Bengal trip. After our leader Abhishek Banerjee’s remark on the high court’s stay and the court’s clarification, we went ahead and arrested Sheikh Shahjahan,” the minister said. “Only Trinamool Congress can set such an example.” The minister said the people must remember the example of “raj dharma” set by Ms Banerjee, he said. Trinamool MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar also questioned why the ED did not arrest Shahjahan for so long.

Senior Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee had earlier claimed that a high court that paused the probe against the strongman had tied up the Bengal police’s hands. The court later clarified the state cops were free to arrest the strongman.

Earlier this week, the Calcutta High Court had clarified that there was no stay on the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan. The High Court on several occasions expressed surprise as to why he could not have been arrested. Several teams, including the National Human Rights Commission, the National Commission for Women, the National Commission for Scheduled Caste and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, had visited Sandeshkhali and recorded the allegations made by villagers.

Sandeshkhali had remained tense for the past three weeks with incidents of attack on properties of local Trinamool Congress leaders and villagers coming out in the open and protesting against police inaction.

The Sandeshkhali strongman was at the centre of serious allegations levelled by residents of the island in North 24 Parganas district. The residents have accused Shahjahan and his aides of land grab and extortion. Charges of sexual harassment have also surfaced. The BJP had accused the ruling Trinamool of shielding him. Following his arrest, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said it was a “mutual agreement” between the strongman and Bengal cops. “Unless central agencies take him into their custody, people there won’t get justice,” he has said.

Sharing a video in which Shahjahan is seen entering a Bengal court, BJP leader Amit Malviya said Bengal police “is escorting Sheikh Shahjahan like they would escort CM Mamata Banerjee.” “All these days, Sheikh Shahjahan was under the protection of WB Police. As soon as Calcutta High Court allowed ED and CBI to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan, Mamata Banerjee’s police took control of him,” he alleged.

Bengal minister Bratya Basu questioned why the BJP has not acted against leaders such as Himanta Biswa Sarma despite several allegations against them. “The BJP is not Trinamool Congress that it will suspend a leader as soon as he is arrested. Because the other name of BJP is washing machine. So if someone from our party is suspended and then seen in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally, we won’t be surprised,” he said.

Meanwhile, a lawyer representing Sandeshkhali strongman Sheikh Shahjahan was in for some tough talk by the Calcutta High Court on Thursday. A bench led by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam turned down the advocate’s request to raise a bail plea and said it has “no sympathy” for Shahjahan.

On Thursday morning, when his advocate mentioned the anticipatory bail petition, the Chief Justice refused and asked him to return on Monday, when the court will hear the matter next. “Mr Counsel, this man has some 43 cases against him. Mind you, now for next 10 years, this man will keep you busy. You will have to handle all his cases till next 10 years at least,” the Chief Justice added.