The State Government of West Bengal moved the Supreme Court to review a decision of the High Court of Calcutta, which made an order to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to go into the accusations of some extortion, land grabbing, and sex assaults concerning the suspended member of the Trinamool Congress party Sheikh Shahjahan and some of his associates in the area of Sandeskhali.
This decision to retain CBI is just a month after CBI, which has been already investigating the January 5 ED team, recently searched suspect locations relevant to the January 5 case.
Media reports suggest that foreign arms and ammunition were found in the hideout, which prompted the government to send NSG commandos to occupy the area. In the Sandeshkhali incident, the mob of Shahjahan’s supporters ambushed an ED team that was traveling to execute a search warrant based on matters concerning another court case.
As a result of the attack, Shabjahan went into hiding for about a month and was finally surrounded. It started political discontent with the BJP and even the Congress, criticizing the Government’s open censure of rejecting the close information Moun Mahato because of the delay of Kabirul Shahjahan’s arrest.
Thus, the controversy over Sandeshkhali turning into a major electoral issue only underscores its potential implications for the polls. The Trinamool has been accused of defending Shahjahan, while the BJP campaigned with the victimized woman from the Basirhat area standing against Shahjahan in the parliamentary election.
Revisingly, ‘TMC’ further brought controversy over 2000 years old historical rape charges against Brij Bhushan Singh, BJP MP and former ‘wrestler’, which caused serious concern to the population of India.
The Bengal state government is under criticism for its absence of accountability as the High Court of the state underscored the necessity of dealing with such allegations in Sandeshkhali if the charges are true. Further, he said that just one instance of wrong performing may become a shame for the government.
