Sandeshkhali row: After arrest, TMC suspends Sheikh for 6 years
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has suspended for six years its party leader, Sheikh Shahjahan, who faced accusations of sexual violence and land grabbing in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal. The move came just hours after Sheikh was arrested by the state police on Thursday. "We have decided to suspend Shahjahan Sheikh from the party for six years. As always, we walk the talk. We have set examples in the past, and we are doing that again today," TMC MP Derek O'Brien said.
Why does this story matter?
Sandeshkhali, in North 24 Parganas district, has become the latest flashpoint between the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2024 elections. At the center of this are Sheikh and his supporters, who have been accused of sexually assaulting women and grabbing land. Sheikh had been evading authorities since January 5, when a mob linked to him attacked Enforcement Directorate officials after they went to raid his place in an alleged ration scam.
Sheikh sent to police custody for 10 days
Upon his suspension, Sheikh will forfeit all party posts he previously held. According to reports, the TMC leader was sent to police custody for 10 days by a local court. After his court appearance, he was taken to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) headquarters at Bhavani Bhawan in Kolkata. The case is likely to be handed over to the CID. Notably, the action against Sheikh comes a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to West Bengal.
Court order delayed Shahjahan's arrest: TMC
Addressing a press conference, O'Brien and West Bengal Minister Bratya Basu accused the BJP of trying to create a disruption over the Sandeshkhali issue. O'Brien even challenged the BJP to take action against its leader, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh—the former Wrestling Federation of India chief who faces multiple sexual assault allegations. Basu added that Sheikh could not be arrested earlier because of a "Calcutta High Court order, which was earlier pointed out by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee."
Sheikh arrested because of BJP's continuous agitation: Majumdar
The BJP, meanwhile, linked the arrest to the party's continuous agitation over the matter. Earlier in the day, West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar said, "Due to the continuous agitation by the BJP, this government was compelled to arrest Sheikh." "The government was in a mode of denial. They were not even accepting that anything has happened...Today, due to the agitation of the BJP and the women of Sandeshkhali, the government and Mamata were compelled to arrest him," he added.
Calcutta HC's order to CBI, ED
Sheikh's arrest came a day after the Calcutta HC clarified that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED can arrest Sheikh. The court had made the clarification after the ED and CBI expressed reservations about the West Bengal Police probing the Sandeshkhali violence case. "The court has only stayed the constitution of a special investigation team. Therefore, it will be well open to the CBI or the ED to arrest the absconding accused," the bench said.
What the court said during Monday hearing
On Monday as well, the bench had clarified that there was no stay on the arrest of Sheikh. "We will clarify that there is no stay on arrest. A stay on investigation doesn't mean a stay on arrest. There is an FIR registered and he is branded as an accused," the court said. This followed TMC MP Banerjee's claim that the Bengal government cannot arrest Sheikh as the court "tied the hands of the police."
