Sandeshkhali violence | CBI takes custody of TMC’s Sheikh Shahjahan

Handover comes a day after a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court ordered that the case involving the attack on ED officials, and the custody of the accused, be granted to the CBI

CBI officials escort Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, accused in the Sandeshkhali case, out of West Bengal Police headquarters Bhavani Bhawan in Kolkata on March 6, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on March 6 got the custody of suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan, in a case involving an attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on January 5.

The handover came a day after a Division Bench of the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, T.S. Sivagnanam, on Tuesday ordered that the case involving the attack on ED officials and the custody of the accused be granted to the CBI by 4.30 p.m. On Tuesday, a team of CBI officials visited the State Police Headquarters but had to return empty-handed.

Earlier in the day, the ED moved a contempt petition before a Division Bench presided by Justice Harish Tandon against the State government, claiming that had not implemented Tuesday’s orders of a Division Bench presided by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam.

Watch | Explained: What led to the violence in Sandeshkhali?

The Calcutta High Court noted that though the West Bengal government has pleaded that it had filed before the Supreme Court an SLP challenging Tuesday’s judgement, there was no interim stay granted on the implementation of the orders till the time it was passing its order.

On Wednesday, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police handed custody of the accused to the CBI at about 6.40 p.m. Before handing Mr. Shahjahan over to the CBI, the CID took him to a State-run hospital for a medical check-up. CBI officials took him to the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital and then to Nizam Palace, where Mr. Shahjahan will be lodged.

Allegations of land grab and sexual assault by villagers, particularly women, in Sandeshkhali, have been made against Mr. Shahjahan and his aides. The region was on the boil for weeks till the West Bengal Police arrested Sheikh Shahjahan on February 29.

The delay in handing over the accused to the CBI despite the Calcutta High Court’s order has triggered strong reactions from political parties in the Opposition. The violence in Sandeshkhali, and the allegations against Mr. Shahjahan, have emerged as a key political issue in the State before the Lok Sabha election.