Sandeshkhali row: TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan sent to 10 days in police custody

Sheikh Shahjahan, the Trinamool Congress leader accused of sexual violence and land grab by several women in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, was arrested on Thursday morning and has been sent to 10 days of police custody.

The leader and his associates have been accused of sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing in Sandeshkhali. Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested around midnight in the North 24 Parganas district by a special Bengal police team. He had been on the run for 55 days. After the arrest, he was taken to the Basirhat court.

The team had been monitoring the leader's activities for several days leading up to the arrest, officials said.

Also Read | Sandeshkhali controversy timeline: The 55-day saga from protests to TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan's arrest

The arrest comes three days after the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice ordered to add Sheikh Shahjahan to the Sandeshkhali case. On February 26, Calcutta HC Justice asked to issue a notice in the case and said, "There is no reason to not arrest him."

"Public notice shall be given in this case. There is no stay order in Sandeshkhali cases. There is no reason to not arrest him," the Court said.

The ruling Trinamool Congress hailed the arrest saying it was possible only after the court cleared the decks and accused the opposition of exploiting the earlier "embargo" on his arrest. Reacting to the arrest, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh praised that Bengal police for cracking down on the Sandeshkhali accused. He added that CBI should now arrest Suvendu Adhikari and Mithun Chakraborty (both BJP leaders), who have been named in FIRs in separate cases. Ghosh also demanded arrest of Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Singh.

The BJP dubbed the arrest as scripted and claimed he was in the safe custody of West Bengal Police.

Also Read | WB police justify 55-day delay in arresting Sheikh Shahjahan, arrest not over Sadeshkhali sexual abuse case