On 5th of March: Despite a court order, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was unable to take custody of Shahjahan Sheikh in connection with the Sandeshkhali violence. The CBI, supported by CRPF personnel, awaited Sheikh’s handover at the West Bengal CID headquarters but faced obstruction.
KOLKATA: On Tuesday (5th March), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to take custody of Shahjahan Sheikh, a key figure and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader implicated in the Sandeshkhali violence. The Calcutta High Court gave directions to transfer the investigation from the West Bengal police to the CBI, a move contested by the state government.
A team from the CBI, along with CRPF support, waited at the West Bengal CID headquarters to receive Sheikh. However, despite waiting for a long time, they were unable to take him into custody.
“The CBI was not granted custody due to the state’s appeal to the Supreme Court against the high court’s verdict,” a CID spokesperson disclosed to the press.
The decision to transfer the investigation to the CBI was made earlier that day, significantly impacting the Sandeshkhali case. The High Court also ordered that Sheikh, arrested by state police on February 29 for land grabbing and assaulting women, be handed over to the CBI.
The order came from a bench led by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, who demanded it be followed by that same afternoon.
A group of Enforcement Directorate officials, who had come to Sandeshkhali on January 15 to investigate Sheikh’s involvement in a ration scam, faced an assault and were driven out by a crowd supposedly linked to the TMC leader.
After this incident, Sheikh managed to evade arrest for more than a month. In his absence, multiple accusations emerged against him and his associates, alleging unlawful land acquisition and sexual assault against women in the area.
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