On 5 January 2024, a team of Enforcement Directorate officers visited the village of Sandeshkhali in West Bengal, India, to interrogate a local Trinamool Congress leader, Sheikh Shahjahan, about his involvement with the corruption scandal of the politician Jyotipriya Mallick. Mallick, a former minister with the Trinamool Congress, pled guilty for embezzling multiple crores from food rationing funds in October 2023, implicating Shahjahan. In January 2024, the ED investigated additional allegations of sexual assault and improper land acquisition against Shahjahan. In the resulting altercation, three ED officers were injured by local supporters of Shahjahan.
| 2024 Sandeshkhali violence | |
|---|---|
  2024 Sandeshkhali violence (West Bengal)  2024 Sandeshkhali violence (India) | |
| Location | Sandeshkhali, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India |
| Coordinates | 22°21′40″N 88°52′54″E / 22.3611211°N 88.8815470°E |
| Date | January 5, 2024 09:30 (IST (UTC+05:30)) |
Immediately after the incident, Shahjahan fled, remaining a fugitive for 55 days until his apprehension on 29 February. He was suspended by the Trinamool Congress immediately after his arrest.
Background
editOn 5 January 2024, a group of ED officers went to interrogate Sheikh Shahjahan, a TMC district council member from Sarberia village of Sandeshkhali I CD block in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal in connection with the ration smuggling case in which senior minister in Government of West Bengal, Jyotipriya Mallick was arrested in October 2023. Immediately after the raid, the ED officers were assaulted and attacked by the local villagers, along with destroying their phones, important files by the local supporters of Sheikh Shahjahan.[1] The vehicles of the mediapersons which were present there, were also vandalized and they were beaten badly.[2] Following that incident, on 11 January 2024, ED officers filed a petition for the protection of them in Calcutta High Court for which the protection was granted by the court.[3][4] The court also ordered for an interim stay on the FIRs which were filed by police against ED officials on the day of the raid and violence.[5] On 12 January 2024, two arrested in connection with the attack on the ED team by West Bengal Police.[6] On 25 January 2024, ED again with full force of CISF went to Sandeshkhali to his residence for raid and they broke the doors and entered the house, but were able to find nothing.[7] Following the attack incident, the local villagers alleged that Sheikh Shahjahan was like a gangster of Sandeshkhali, who used to threaten the people with his two aides, TMC leaders Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar and the mob. Allegations of systemic sexual assault on many women of Sandeshkhali surfaced in mainstream media during early February 2024. They also claimed that both Shibu and Uttam raped the women of the villages by calling them to their offices at ungodly hours and now police is denying to register FIRs.[8]
On 17 February 2024, Shibu Hazra was arrested by the police. He was sent to 8 days of police custody by the court.[9][10][11][12]
Soon after the news broke, several protests took place across the state by several opposition parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).[13] An inquiry was also launched on the allegations and several arrest were made.[14]
On 29 February 2024, at around 5:30 am (IST), Shahjahan was arrested by the police from Minakhan, North 24 Parganas by them.[15]
Reactions
editFollowing the incident, BJP leader and the leader of opposition in West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari condemned the attack on the ED in Sandeshkhali. He also alleged that West Bengal Police is helping Shahjahan to run away. However, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh denied of such actions and said that Shahjahan is available in Sandeshkhali and did not flown to anywhere. On the other hand, CPI(M) leader Mohammed Selim has also alleged that police had already talked with Shahjahan for his protection, that's why they are not taking any action against him. LoP Suvendu Adhikari when tried to visit Sandeshkhali with their MLAs, the police stopped and returned them to Kolkata in the prison van. On the same day, Adhikari filed a petition in the High Court to get the nod for visiting Sandeshkhali, for which he got the permission from the court.[16]
On 15 February 2024, Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee alleged that BJP and RSS are using both CBI and ED to create unnecessary violence to win over West Bengal in the upcoming Lok Sabha election in 2024.[17]
On 14 February 2024, BJP State President and MP Dr. Sukanta Majumdar was detained by the police, during their sit-on protest in front of SP Office in Basirhat.[18]
According to ANI, Senior BJP leader and MP Dilip Ghosh alleged that Mamata Banerjee is involved in protecting such criminals like Shahjahan Sheikh.[19]
References
edit- ^ "Enforcement Directorate team en route to raid Trinamool leader attacked in Bengal". India Today. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ "ED Team Attacked During Raid In West Bengal's Sandeshkhali; Visuals Surface". Free Press Journal. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Calcutta HC grants protection to ED officers in Sandeshkhali case". Deccan Herald. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "Calcutta High Court grants protection to ED officers in Sandeshkhali case". New Indian Express. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ "Sandeshkhali attack case: Calcutta HC orders interim stay on FIR against ED officials". Hindustan Times. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Sandeshkhali case: Two arrested in connection with attack on ED team in West Bengal". Hindustan Times. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Ration distribution 'scam': 19 days after Sandeshkhali attack, ED searches TMC leader's house again". Indian Express. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Sandeshkhali rape survivor alleges attack on her home". The Hindu. 18 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Trinamool Leader Shibu Hazra Arrested After Rape Allegations By Sandeshkhali Women; BJP Reacts". News18. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ "Sandeshkhali: Police add gangrape sections, say got no complaint against Shahjahan Sheikh". Hindustan Times. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ Wire, The (18 February 2024). "Systemic Sexual Assault, an Oppressive TMC and Not Much Recourse: What Sandeshkhali Villagers Say". The News Minute. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Sandeshkhali violence: Court sends TMC's Shibu Hazra to eight days of police custody". The Economic Times. 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Sandeshkhali Unrest: As Women-Led Protests Escalate, TMC's 'Outsider' Claims Find Little Resonance". The Wire. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Women cops begin probe in violence-hit Sandeshkhali, prohibitory orders extended". India Today. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Sandeshkhali violence: West Bengal Police arrests TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan". Livemint. 29 February 2024.
- ^ "BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, Stopped From Visiting Sandeshkhali, Gets Court Nod". NDTV. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Mamata Banerjee blames RSS for Sandeshkhali violence, says 'there were other plans'". Hindustan Times. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ "Sandeshkhali violence Live Updates: Police detains the West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar". The Economic Times. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ "Sandeshkhali violence: BJP MP Dilip Ghosh alleges Mamata of protecting "criminals" like Shahjahan Sheikh". ANI News. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.