In Kolkata, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) subjected Sheikh Shahjahan, a suspended TMC figure implicated in the Sandeshkhali case, to interrogation regarding alleged land usurpation. Sources from the ED assert that Shahjahan stands accused of unlawfully seizing numerous parcels in the Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal.
Furthermore, the ED uncovered illicit monetary transactions within the shrimp trade, leading to the filing of two Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIR) against Shahjahan. One of these ECIRs pertains to corruption in the public distribution system (PDS), the origins of which trace back to a missive authored by Jyotiprioryo Mallik, the former food minister of Bengal.
The second ECIR addresses purported malfeasance in import-export ventures, including allegations of coercive land acquisition. According to ED sources, Shahjahan underwent questioning in connection to the latter ECIR, which revolves around claims of land appropriation, on Saturday.
Earlier, the suspended TMC powerhouse Sheikh Shahjahan found himself remanded to judicial custody in light of the Sandeshkhali Enforcement Directorate (ED) altercation case. Subsequent to this, upon directives from the Calcutta High Court, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Kolkata Police relinquished custody of Sheikh Shahjahan to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In response to the CID, the high court issued a contempt notice, decreeing on Wednesday that the case pertaining to the assault on ED personnel be transferred to the CBI, along with custody of the principal accused, Shahjahan.
The court additionally remarked on the state police’s ambivalence in the affair, accusing them of playing a game of concealment and revelation. After nearly eluding capture for a span of two months, the suspended TMC luminary was apprehended by the West Bengal Police on February 29.
The women residing in Sandeshkhali, situated in the North 24 Parganas district, have leveled accusations against Shahjahan and his cohorts, alleging severe transgressions and acts of cruelty. A multitude of female residents on the island have accused Shahjahan and his associates of “land usurpation and sexual aggression” under duress.
