BJP protest near police station demanding Shahjahan Sheikh's arrest
Telegraph | 12 January 2024
BJP workers Thursday demonstrated near Nazat police station in North 24 Parganas district protesting against alleged police inaction in apprehending TMC youth leader Sahajahan Sheikh for the attack on Enforcement Directorate officials during a recent raid by the agency at his Sandeshkhali residence.
The BJP workers led by West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar marched about a kilometer to the police station and squatted before the barricade when they were stopped.
Later, a five-member BJP delegation went inside the police station and submitted a memorandum to the officer present there demanding Sahajahan Sheikh's arrest at the earliest.
The ED lodged a complaint at the Nazat police station in connection with the assault on its personnel. The TMC leader's family and the state police have also registered separate complaints against the central probe agency.
Majumdar said prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr PC was clamped in the area around the police station to prevent the "peaceful" demonstration by BJP. But the party in deference to the order requested the police that five of its representatives be allowed inside.
"Six days have passed since the audacious attack on the Enforcement Directorate officials who went to Sahajahan Sheikh's residence to unravel the mystery of his illegally amassed wealth and the money trail. The attack on the central agency's investigators was pre-planned by him. He is still eluding the agency with active support from the ruling party.
"We demand a specific time frame by the police for Shahjahan Shiekh's arrest," Majumdar told reporters before the BJP delegates entered the police station.
Amidst chants of 'Jai Shree Ram', he accused Sahajahan of unleashing a reign of terror in the area, evicting original land owners there and converting acres of land into waterbodies for fish cultivation.
The ED said that three of its officials were injured and their mobile phones, laptops and wallets were "looted" when they went to Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district to search the premises of Shajahan Sheikh in connection with the alleged ration distribution scam. The TMC youth leader is absconding since then and the ED has issued a look out circular against him, alerting all land, air and sea ports to prevent him from fleeing the country.
"Once BJP comes to power in West Bengal in 2026, the residences of all such TMC musclemen who terrorised the poor for past one decade will be razed to the ground by bulldozer by BJP," Majumdar said.
Bulldozer has become a metaphor for strict police and administrative action by BJP in states like Uttar Pradesh to demolish constructions of people who violate laws. The TMC and Congress and other INDIA block parties accused the administration in those BJP-ruled states of using 'bulldozer politics' for intimidating its political opponents and selectively targetting minorities.
Reacting to Majumdar's comment, TMC state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said he will never be able to realise his dreams as BJP can never come to power in West Bengal.
"It is clear that BJP is using central agencies to harass its political opponents ahead of the (general election). But TMC has no objection to fair investigations," he said.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.