The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday initiated questioning of Sandeshkhali strongman Sheikh Shahjahan. The interrogation was conducted by the CBI’s Kolkata ACB Unit, which was led by SPs Gaurav Singh and Umesh Kumar. The latest development comes after the Calcutta High Court set a new deadline for Bengal police to hand over Shahjahan to the central agency on Wednesday, adding another twist to the ongoing custody dispute.
A bench of Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya ordered Bengal police to hand over Shahjahan’s custody to the CBI by 4.15 PM yesterday (March 6).
Earlier this week, the high court ordered Bengal police to hand over the expelled Trinamool Congress leader to the CBI by 4:30 p.m. The Mamata Banerjee government filed a Supreme Court challenge to the ruling. When a CBI team arrived to take Shahjahan into custody yesterday, they were informed that the case was before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, however, denied the Bengal government’s request for an urgent hearing.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had approached the high court against the Bengal police, claiming that the Supreme Court had not yet heard the state government’s petition and that there was no pause in the high court’s ruling yesterday. The ED has also sought action against officers from Bengal’s Criminal Investigation Department for failing to follow the high court’s orders.
CBI Grills Sandeshkhali Strongman. All Details Here:
- Since the taking over the custody, CBI has not conducted any inquiry with Sheikh Shahjahan until now. The focus, until this point, was solely on completing paperwork.
- After the central agency took over his custody, Shahjahan consistently cited “ill health” to the CBI. However, no health issues were found in the medical examination, according to the information that CBI shared after Shahjahan’s examination.
- Preparations for questioning Shahjahan were made the previous night, but due to repeated claims of “ill health”, he was allowed to rest through the night. The CBI has now commenced questioning him just a short while ago.
- CBI’s primary inquiry revolves around identifying the person Shahjahan called on the day of the ED attack. When the ED team reached Shahjahan Sheikh’s location on the day of the attack, both of his mobile numbers (9732634790 and 9733804506) were continuously engaged, and after a while, one number went off.
- However, the crucial question remains about the identity of the person Shahjahan Sheikh was conversing with, as suddenly, a crowd of 800 to 1000 people armed with sticks and stones attacked the ED team within 10 minutes.
- The interrogation has commenced, and all details will be officially recorded. Written responses from Shahjahan will be obtained for the questions posed during the inquiry.
Sheikh Shahjahan is at the centre of the political uproar over Sandeshkhali region in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. Residents of the island have accused Shahjahan and his associates of harassment, land grabbing, and extortion.
The strongman first made headlines in January when an Enforcement Directorate team was attacked by a mob while conducting a raid on his properties. He evaded arrest for 52 days before being apprehended by Bengal police. The BJP has accused the Trinamool Congress of protecting the strongman and has stated that only a probe by central agencies will ensure justice for the people of Sandeshkhali.
Shahjahan has been expelled from the Trinamool party for six years. Responding to the BJP charge, it has questioned why central agencies were unable to arrest the strongman for so long.
