KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress’s second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday held the judiciary responsible for action not being taken against Sandeshkhali’s strongman Shahjahan Sheikh, not the ruling TMC. He also gave a clear hint that the party would not stand by Shahjahan, the character presently in the epicentre of state politics which has become a national outcry.
“The Calcutta High Court tied up the hands of the police by issuing a stay order on the probe against Shahjahan based on the Enforcement Directorate’s petition. Had it not been there and had the court given the police a stipulate time, the state’s law enforcers could have been shown what they can do,” said Abhishek, who is also the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Referring to the allegations laid down by the BJP and other opposition parties accusing the ruling TMC of giving Shahjahan protection, Abhishek said, “I would like to ask them to go to the high court and place their demand of Shahjahan’s arrest. We did not petition seeking the stay order on the probe. It was the Central government’s agency that sought the stay order. the Judiciary is protecting Shahjahan, not our party”
Sandeshkhali has been on the boil over the past 50 days after ED officers were bashed up and left bleeding in the North 24 Parganas island when they went to raid Shahjahan’s house in connection with a foodgrain case. The attackers were believed to Shjahan’s followers.
On seeing the TMC strongman and his two henchmen Shibaprasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar are at large since the attack on the federal agency, women of the area mustered up their courage to protest against the sexual abuse on them allegedly by the ruling party’s satraps. Hazra and Sardar were arrested on the charges of gang rape shortly after the party announced their suspension.
Making it clear that the party would not stand by Shahjahan, the TMC MP from Diamond Harbour said, “The state government took action against former ministers Partha Chatterjee and Jyotipriya Mullick by removing them from the cabinet after they were arrested by central agencies on corruption charges, then who is Shahjahan? Many political leaders sitting in Delhi as well as from this state are instigating people of Sandeshkhali and playing cards of divisive politics.”
Asked his opinion on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bengal visit in March's first week, the national general secretary of the party said, “The Bengal BJP has been asked to keep the Sandeshkhali issue alive till the Prime Minister’s visit.”
Sandeshkhali continued witnessing locals’ ire on Sunday. They again chased local TMC leader Kanai Patra who was forced to take refuge in a civic volunteer’s house in the area. The agitated locals accused Patra of acting Shahjahan’s associate and grabbing their lands forcibly. The police later rushed to the spot and detained Patra.
