Kolkata: Shahjahan Sheikh, a prominent leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) party in West Bengal, was arrested by the Bengal Police on the night of February 28, 2024, following the order of the Calcutta High Court. He was the main accused in the Sandeshkhali violence case, which involved allegations of sexual harassment of women and land grabbing of tribals in the Sandeshkhali area of North 24 Parganas district.
Sheikh had been on the run for almost two months, ever since he and his associates attacked a team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that had come to question him in connection with the Bengal ration distribution scam case on January 5, 2024. The ED had been probing Sheikh’s role in the alleged irregularities and corruption in the distribution of subsidized food grains to the poor under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
Court Intervention
The Sandeshkhali violence case had sparked widespread outrage and protests among the local women and tribal communities, who accused Sheikh of sexually assaulting and intimidating them, and forcibly occupying their lands. The case had also drawn the attention of the Calcutta High Court, which took suo motu cognizance of the matter and directed the state government to submit a report on the status of the investigation and the steps taken to protect the victims and witnesses.
The court had also expressed its displeasure over the non-cooperation of Sheikh, who had failed to appear before the ED despite repeated summons. The court had observed that Sheikh could be arrested by the ED or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had also registered a case against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).
On February 28, 2024, the court ordered the Bengal Police to arrest Sheikh and produce him before the court on the next day. The court had also ordered the police to issue an advertisement in the newspapers declaring Sheikh as an absconder and offering a reward for any information leading to his arrest.
Arrest and Future Course
Acting on the court’s order, the Bengal Police launched a massive manhunt for Sheikh and finally nabbed him from a hideout in Kolkata late on the night of February 28, 2024. He was taken to the police headquarters for interrogation and then produced before the court on March 1, 2024.
Sheikh’s arrest is expected to pave the way for a speedy and fair trial in the Sandeshkhali violence case, as well as the Bengal ration distribution scam case. The court has also directed the police to provide adequate security and assistance to the victims and witnesses of the violence and to ensure that they are not subjected to any further harassment or threats by Sheikh or his supporters.
