Sheikh Shahjahan, TMC leader accused in Sandeshkhali violence case, arrested

Absconding Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, accused of sexual violence and land grab in Sadeshkhali village, was arrested on Thursday morning, police said. He was arrested from a house in Minakhan in North 24 Parganas district where he was hiding, reported PTI quoting police.

The TMC strongman is in the Basirhat court lockup at present and will be produced before the court later in the day.

ADG South Bengal will hold a press conference after 9am to divulge further details regarding the arrest.

“Shajahan Sheikh has been arrested. We welcome the steps of state (West Bengal) police. Our leader Abhishek Banerjee pointed out that due to some parts of the order from the honourable High Court, state police had been restrained from taking any action. After he pointed out the problem, honourable High Court removed the restrictions and the police became free (to take action),” TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said.

Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district has been witnessing protests over alleged sexual atrocities and land grabbing by some local Trinamool Congress leaders, including Sheikh Shahjahan.

Shahjahan was on the run following the attack on Enforcement Directorate officials in Sandeshkhali last month.

The West Bengal government had been facing the heat as the TMC strongman evaded arrest for weeks.

The situation remained tense in Sandeshkhali as delegations of political parties and members of civil society groups made a beeline to the strife-torn village amid calls for arrest.

Shahjahan’s arrest comes days after the TMC assured that the accused will be arrested very soon. TMC Rajya Sabha MP-elect Sagarika Ghose asserted that the recent arrests of key aides linked to Sheikh Shahjahan demonstrate the government’s commitment to upholding the law.

She refuted claims of any shielding or protection, asserting that the TMC and the Bengal Government are actively working to ensure justice prevails.

“No one is being shielded; no one is being protected. No one will escape the law…The TMC and the Bengal Government are on the ground; they are working and there is every reason to believe that Sheikh Shahjahan will be arrested very soon,” TMC Rajya Sabha MP-elect Sagarika Ghose told ANI on Tuesday.