His arrest comes a day before PM Narendra Modi’s state visit on March 1st.
West Bengal Police have arrested the TMC leader and main accused of the Sandeshkhali case, Shahjahan Sheikh, after 55 days of a manhunt in the Minakhan area of North 24 Parganas and taken him to Basirhat Court. His arrest comes a day before PM Modi’s state visit on March 1st.
Sandeshkhali violence | TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan arrested by West Bengal Police from the Minakhan area in North 24 Parganas and taken to Basirhat Court: SDPO of Minakhan, Aminul Islam Khan pic.twitter.com/BoerJxFZNJ
— ANI (@ANI) February 29, 2024
According to ANI, Sheikh Shahjahan will be produced before the Basirhat Court at 2 pm today.
After Shahjahan’s arrest, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale hit out at Narendra Modi while defending the Mamata Banerjee government.
Before the TMC leader gained notoriety for his involvement in the Sandeshkhali unrest, his supporters assaulted the ED officials and CAPF during an attempted raid on his residence related to the ration scam.
The ADG South is also scheduled to hold a media briefing at the SDPO Minakhan office in Malancha at 9 am.
The Calcutta High Court clarified on Monday that there is no injunction against his arrest. “There is no restraining order on his arrest. A stay on investigation does not imply a stay on arrest. With an FIR filed and him identified as a suspect, he must be apprehended,” the High Court affirmed.
This statement followed TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee’s assertion that his government was not shielding Shahjahan but adhering to a directive from the High Court.
After HC clarification, WB police arrested Shahjahan within 72 hours: TMC
Taking to X, Saket wrote, “West Bengal Police have arrested Sandeshkhali accused Sheikh Shahjahan this morning. As our National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee had rightly pointed out – it was a Calcutta HC stay order that had restrained the police. We had also committed that Sheikh Shahjahan would be arrested WITHIN DAYS if the Hon’ble HC freed the hands of the police.”