Amid the Sandeshkhali controversy, the Calcutta High Court on March 6 said the state police had played a game of hide-and-seek in handing over the case of now-suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Shaikh.
The bench said that the investigation should be handed over to CBI by 4:15 pm on Wednesday and the accused should be taken into custody.
Earlier in the day, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered three cases against Sheikh and others for attacking Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials during searches of Shahjahan Sheikh’s premises in January 2024.
Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in West Bengal as well as the West Bengal government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have refused to hand over Shahjahan Sheikh to the CBI.
Also read: Women of Sandeshkhali met PM Modi: ‘The victims were emotional, PM listened to them like a father’
The suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader was arrested by the West Bengal Police on February 29 in connection with the attack on ED officials, after which the state government handed over the case to the CID.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) in a report has made recommendations to President Draupadi Murmu, including imposing President’s rule in West Bengal, replacing the personnel posted at Sandeshkhali police station, strengthening intelligence gathering mechanisms and providing assistance to victims of crime. A request has been made to establish support services. Which includes counselling, legal aid and rehabilitation among others.
On Tuesday, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma met Murmu and submitted the report to him based on the feedback received by him and the fact-finding team of the commission sent to Sandeshkhali last month.
According to the NCW report, TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his associates have been accused of illegally imprisoning the women and subjecting them to rape, molestation and physical abuse.
“Despite Sheikh Shahjahan’s known criminal record and multiple complaints against him, no action was taken against the accused,” the NCW said.
The observations made by the Committee underlined the complete failure of law and order in Sandeshkhali, with worryingly high incidents of violence against women. It said political pressure on the police, under-reporting of incidents due to fear and stigma, and inadequate support services were among the major issues highlighted.
With agency input.
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Published: 06 March 2024, 02:50 PM IST
