West Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari has raised eyebrows over the arrest of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan, stating, “This is not an arrest; this is mutual accommodation.”
“Bhaskar Mukherjee (DIG, Malda Range) took him (Sheikh Shahjahan) in the car to Palta and then to Bhushi Ratil. This is not an arrest, this is mutual accommodation. Unless the central agencies take him into custody, the people will There will be no justice. There is no protection of the court and this is not a temporary stay. This misconception has been created by the leaders of TMC and the police. I say again and again that it is not an arrest; it is a mutual accommodation” , said Suvendu Adhikari.
The LoP's statements add a layer of controversy to the arrest, with Adhikari claiming that Shahjahan would enjoy “five-star facilities in jail”.
“He will be given five-star facilities in the jail. He will use his mobile phone inside and control the area from there. He will engage in illegal activities and violence from the jail,” Suvendu Adhikari said.
Amid tensions in Sandeshkhali, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police in connection with allegations of 'assault and land grabbing' today morning, officials said.
Shahjahan was arrested from Minakhan in North 24 Parganas district,” Minakhan SDPO Aminul Islam Khan told ANI.
He will be produced before the Basirhat court at 2 pm today,” the SDPO said.
Shahjahan had been evading arrest by both state and central agencies for over a month.
Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district witnessed widespread protests against TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh this month as a section of women sought justice against alleged atrocities committed by the TMC leader.
A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused Shajahan Sheikh and his close associates of “land grabbing and sexual assault” under duress.
The arrest comes three days after the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court ordered the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan in the Sandeshkhali case.
Meanwhile, Suvendu Adhikari, along with BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh, is heading to Sandeshkhali after the Calcutta High Court allowed them to visit the area on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the Calcutta High Court allowed the six members of an independent investigation team from the Centre, led by a former Patna High Court judge, to go to the Sandeshkhali battlefield on Friday.
The six-member team, led by Justice Narsimha Reddy, former Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, also included fellow members Charu Bali Khanna, Bhavna Bajaj, OP Vyas, Rajpal Singh, Aparna Banerjee and Bandana Biswas.
The research team will visit Majherpara, Natunpara and Naskarpara localities in Sandeshkhali.
Justice Kaushik Chandra of the HC bench also allowed opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari to go to Sandeshkhali on Thursday on the condition that he does not make inflammatory remarks during his visit.