Sheikh Shahjahan of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was placed under 10-day police custody on Thursday by West Bengal’s Basirhat Court.
Lawyer Raja Bhowmick, who represented Shahjahan in court, said, “14-day police custody (of Sheikh Shahjahan) was demanded, but the court allowed 10-day custody.”
“On March 10, he will be produced in court again,” Bhowmick added.
In relation to an alleged assault on ED officers during a raid in January of this year, Shahjahan was taken into custody by West Bengal police on Thursday morning.
Shahjahan’s arrest was described as an “eye-opener” by West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, who also noted that it is just the “beginning.”
“Today in Bengal, we see the beginning of an end. The arrest of the prime accused in the Sandeshkhali incidents is an eye-opener for everyone. This is only the beginning. We have to put an end to violence in Bengal,” Ananda Bose said.
“In many pockets of Bengal, we all realise that gangsters are ruling unchecked by law enforcement agencies. What we see is only the tip of the iceberg. ‘Gundaraj’ is very much there in many pockets of Bengal. Strong action has to be taken. This has to be nipped in the bud,” he added.
He went on to say that thoughtful measures have to be taken to stop similar occurrences in the future.
“We have to wait. In democratic governance, we have to wait for justice to be done. If any lapses have taken place from the government or any other authority, we still have time to look into that,” the governor said.
“Now, what is required is a considerate action to see that these kinds of things do not happen in future. Action has to be taken against a particular culprit who has been apprehended. My suggestion for all the gangsters is – treat this as an occasion to surrender, otherwise, preventive action has to be taken,” he added.
For more than a month, Shahjahan has been evading arrest by both state and central agencies.
Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition, claimed that the arrest was ‘a mutual adjustment’.
“This is not an arrest, this is a mutual adjustment. Unless the central agencies take him into their custody, the people there won’t get justice. He will get five-star facilities in jail. He will use his mobile phone inside and control the area from there,” the LoP said while speaking to reporters while on the way to Sandeshkhali on Thursday.
Sandeshkhali, in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, saw widespread protests against TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh this month as a section of women were seeking justice against alleged atrocities committed by the TMC leader.
Shajahan Sheikh and his close associates were accused by a significant number of women in Sandeshkhali of “land-grab and sexual assault” under coercion.