In a dramatic development, Sheikh Shahjahan, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, who has been absconding for 55 days, was arrested on Thursday morning by the West Bengal Police.
Shahjahan has been accused of sexual violence and land-grab by several women in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali. The 53-year-old, who was found in Minakhan area in North 24 Parganas, will be produced in court on Thursday, according to police sources.
Three days ago, the Calcutta High Court had pulled up the state police for delay in taking action against him. After the arrest, Section 144 was imposed in Sandeshkhali, including areas close to Shahjahan’s home.
The High Court is set to hear the case against Shahjahan on March 4.
Sandeshkhali has been the scene of protests for more than a month with demands mounting for the arrest of Shahjahan and his accomplices.
State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said that the state government was “forced to take action due to the continuous agitation by the BJP”. He said the government had been in denial mode. It was not even accepting the wrongs happening in Sandeshkhali.
“I had already said that we would compel the government to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan. Today, due to the agitation of the BJP and the women of Sandeshkhali, the government and Mamata Banerjee were compelled to arrest him,” Majumdar said.
Trinamool MP Santanu Sen defended the delay in arresting Shahjahan saying it was because of the “stay order”. Shahjahan had been arrested within three to four days of removal of the stay order, he said. The arrest proves that “our government follows ‘rajdharma’ in an administrative manner”. The “BJP should learn ‘rajdharma’ from the TMC”, he added.
Shahjahan has been absconding since January 5, when a mob allegedly supporting him attacked Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials. The ED were seeking to search his premises in connection with a scam.
Fifty complaints have been received of “sexual abuse and land-grab” from tribal families against Shahjahan and his associates. State government officials stated that they have received around 1,250 complaints in all, including 400 related to land issues.
Also Read: Reliance Industries, Viacom18, Disney Announce Joint Venture to Revolutionise Indian Media Landscape
