Amid the ongoing row over the custody of the suspended TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan, the prime accused in the Sandeshkhali violence case has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today following Calcutta High Court's fresh directive.
Earlier, a CBI team today reached the Bengal Police CID headquarters to take custody of Shajahan who is accused in the Sandeshkhali violence, land grab and sexual abuse cases.
Today, Calcutta High Court again directed the Bengal government to transfer probe into the case of attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in North 24 Parganas's Sandeshkhali to the Central Bureau of Investigation and hand over accused Shahjahan Sheikh to the agency by 4.15 pm on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led West Bengal government refused to handover the probe into the case to the CBI, after which it sought urgent listing of its plea in the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta High Court.
The case pertains to a mob attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Sandeshkhali on January 5. The team of ED officials was attacked by a nearly 1,000-strong mob on January 5 when they went to raid the house of TMC's Shahjahan Sheikh, who allegedly has close links with arrested former state food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick, in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution scam in West Bengal.
Sheikh, who is also the prime accused in alleged sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing at Sandeshkhali, was arrested by the state police on February 29 in the ED officials attack case.
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday also had directed that the CBI be handed over the case of attack on ED officials at Sandeshkhali and the custody of suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh, as it slammed West Bengal Police for "totally biased" conduct and said every attempt is being made to delay the probe to "protect" the accused.
The High Court ordered that its directions be complied with by 4.30 pm on Tuesday but the West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court challenging the order and the state police refused to hand over Sheikh to the CBI team, which returned from CID headquarters at Bhawani Bhawan at 7.30 pm.
