Sandeshkhali, West Bengal: Women celebrated and smeared colour on each other’s faces as news of Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongman Sheikh Shahjahan’s arrest reached Sandeshkhali.
The arrest, made by the West Bengal Police in a covert operation early Thursday, came 55 days after Shahjahan allegedly attacked Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers during a raid of his house and escaped.
Since 8 February, Sandeshkhali women had been coming out in large numbers, alleging political muscle flexing, land grab, and exploitation in the riverine block under North 24 Parganas by Shahjahan and his allies.
Unlike the previous weeks, the people of Sandeshkhali now have a smile on their faces. After the arrest, women poured out of their homes, a few taking the ferry, to gather and celebrate in the area’s Patrapara village.
But behind the smiles, there is very little faith in the police. “Shahjahan has been arrested but will be back soon when the police let him go,” a 62-year-old woman from Sandeshkhali told ThePrint, not wanting to be identified.
“We are happy that the police arrested him, but they should have arrested him earlier. We hope for a better life now. He used to come with boys into Sandeshkhali. He held so much clout. He and his men used to stop all the boats. There will be a change now,” said a 48-year-old boatman at the Dhamakhali ferry ghat from where he hails passengers and two-wheelers.
After the arrest, the TMC held a briefing in Kolkata to announce the official suspension of Sheikh Shahjahan for six years. “There are two types of parties. One type of political party does talk, but Trinamool Congress does walk the talk,” said Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien.
For the people of Sandeshkhali, this is only a “small victory”.
“Finally, he has been arrested. However, we want our land back. The administration came and asked us questions regarding the land. Without our land, we will still have to sleep without food,” said a 52-year-old woman as she washed clothes.
She could not join the other women celebrating in Patrapara. “I have to finish the chores at home. I wanted to join the women but couldn’t make it. But, today, I will sleep peacefully,” she said, with a sigh of relief.
Police personnel still remain on guard in camps set up by the administration in Sandeshkhali block 2. Rapid Action Force (RAF) and civic volunteers huddle together in market areas and ferry points. In Sarberia, the local Sheikh Shahjahan market, named after the accused, remains less crowded than usual. Police stand on alert inside and at the gates of the local market, which has been operating since 2011.
After days of hiding, Shahjahan was nabbed from Bamanpukur village in the Minakhan block in the early hours of Thursday. Police traced his mobile tower and picked him up around 1 am. A joint team of senior officials and district police rushed Shahjahan to the Basirhat district court at sunrise.
His hearing began at 10.40 am, earlier than usual court timings. Shahjahan was remanded to 10 days in police custody in a hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes in a closed courtroom before the additional chief judicial magistrate. Police later took him to Kolkata.
Shahjahan was booked under IPC sections 147 (guilty of rioting), 148 (guilty of rioting being armed with a deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 307 (attempt to murder), 333 (whoever voluntarily causing grievous hurt to any person being a public servant) and 392 (robbery).
Two FIRs are lodged against him at the Nazat police station. The deputy director of ED has lodged an FIR, and the West Bengal Police have registered a suo motu case against him.
Hours after Shahjahan’s lawyer orally mentioned an urgent bail plea in the Calcutta High court Thursday, the ED wrote to the Chief Justice-led HC division bench to allow the central agency to take over Shahjahan’s custody. The court will likely take up the matter for hearing this week.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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