Foreign-made guns found in CBI raid in Bengal's Sandeshkhali: Report
The Central Bureau of Investigation has recovered foreign-made weapons and ammunition during raids in several locations in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal, per NDTV. The raids were part of the ongoing probe into the attack on an Enforcement Directorate team by the supporters of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan on January 5. The CBI is also probing allegations of extortion, land grab, and sexual assault against Sheikh and his associates. The state government is yet to comment on the weapon seizure.
Why does this story matter?
The Sandeshkhali incident is the latest flashpoint between the TMC and the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has accused the TMC of protecting Sheikh. Meanwhile, the TMC—which suspended Sheikh from the party for six years after his arrest—has accused the BJP of politicising the issue for vote gain. To recall, Sheikh had been on the run since the January 5 attack on ED. After evading capture for 55 days, he was arrested in February.
CBI's launches phone lines for Sandeshkhali victims
As part of its investigation, the CBI launched confidential phone lines and email addresses this month to encourage survivors from Sandeshkhali to report their complaints. On the first day alone, officials received 50 complaints, many related to alleged land grabs by politically influential people, reports said. This had been ordered by the Calcutta High Court when it handed the case to the investigating agency.
ED raids in Sandeshkhalis
On March 14, the ED conducted raids at multiple locations in Sandeshkhali in connection with the land-grabbing case. Notably, the ED is also investigating Sheikh in the ration distribution case and has filed a new Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) regarding "irregularities" in import-export operations. On February 23, ED officials conducted searches at six locations as part of the probe into the case. Searches were also conducted at the residences of fish traders associated with Sheikh's business.
3 seats undergoing polling today
This development comes on the day 88 constituencies across India are going to polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Three constituencies—Balurghat, Darjeeling, and Raiganj—are undergoing polling on Friday. In the first phase, voting had taken place in Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and Jalpaigiri seats in North Bengal. Notably, all these six seats were won by the BJP in the last Lok Sabha polls.
