In the recent legal case, the Calcutta High Court criticized West Bengal police for showing bias and trying to protect Shahjahan Sheikh. He is a key suspect in criminal cases like extortion and sexual assault in Sandeshkhali(Village in West Bengal).
The Calcutta High Court ordered that the custody of Shahjahan Sheikh, who was arrest by west bengal police on February 29 in connection with attack, be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) by 4:30pm on March 5 but the West Bengal government moved to the Supreme Court challenging the order and the state police refused to hand over Shahjahan to the CBI team. The Court’s Directives added new layer to the ongoing legal dispute between the state government and investigation agencies.
Shahjahan Sheikh, a former leader of Trinamool Congress, had been missing since January 5 after a attack on Enforcement Directorate(ED) officials by a group believed to be his supporters. Apart from the attack on the ED team, Shahjahan Shaikh is accused of rape, harassment of women and illegal occupation of lands in Sandeshkhali. His Disappearance led to widespread political unrest, with Trinamool Congress facing criticism from opposition parties, particularly the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) for allegedly protecting him.
After 55 Days of evading from authorities, Shahjahan was caught by a special police team on February 10 and then suspended from Trinamool Congress for six years. The subsequent arrest and suspension of Shahjahan by the Trinamool Congress raised questions about the ruling party’s role in protecting him. The High Court decided to transfer the case to CBI after facing legal challenges from both Enforcement Directorate and the state government, each advocating for different investigative methods. The court highlighted that an attempt was being made to prolong the investigation to protect the accused persons.
The High court’s ruling canceled a previous order that formed a special investigative team with members from both the CBI and state police. While the Enforcement Directorate wanted the CBI to have full authority, the state government preferred investigations led by the police. Despite the West Bengal government trying to contest the High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court. The matter was mentioned before a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi appearing for the West Bengal government, seeking an urgent hearing. Request for an urgent hearing was denied by Supreme court bench. Instead, the top court instructed senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi to present the plea to its Registrar-General following the established procedures.
The National Commission for Women, after investigating reports of violence and intimidation against women in Sandeshkhali, recommended imposition of President’s rule in West Bengal due to alleged atrocities and government inaction. The recommendation echoed a similar call by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, citing patterns of violence and negligence by the state administration.
Women took out a march in the village raising allegations of sexual abuse by TMC leaders for years. The women said they were called for late-night meetings under the garb of self-help group gatherings and harassed by TMC men. They said they were speaking up freely now since Sheikh was on the run. Simultaneously, allegations were raised that families, many from tribal communities, had lost agricultural land to TMC men who forcibly converted it to fisheries.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women, after investigating reports of violence and intimidation against women in Sandeshkhali, recommended imposition of President’s rule in West Bengal due to alleged atrocities and government inaction. The recommendation echoed a similar call by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, citing patterns of violence and negligence by the state administration.
During his recent visit to Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the Trinamool Congress for allegedly protecting Shahjahan and not addressing the concerns of women impacted by the Sandeshkhali incident. He accused the ruling party of priortizing specific individuals over the public’s welfare, leading to widespread outrage.