Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh, known as the strongman of Sandeshkhali, who had been evading arrest for the past 55 days, was apprehended by the West Bengal Police early on Thursday.
Sheikh and his associates are key suspects in cases related to land encroachment and sexual harassment, which came to light following violent protests in Sandeshkhali island of North 24 Parganas district. His evasion began on January 5 after a mob of his supporters attacked a team of Enforcement Directorate officials near his residence in Sandeshkhali.
“The West Bengal Police arrested Sheikh Shahjahan this morning,” stated authorities.
According to police sources, Shahjahan was detained in the North 24 Parganas district after midnight. Subsequently, he was brought to Basirhat court and is currently in custody.
Law enforcement had been closely monitoring the activities of the TMC leader for several days leading up to his arrest.
Responding to the development, TMC’s National General Secretary Saket Gokhale commented on the social media platform X, stating, “As our Natl Gen Sec @abhishekaitc had rightly pointed out — it was a Calcutta HC stay order that had restrained the police.” He further noted the commitment made by the party that Sheikh Shahjahan would be apprehended within days once the High Court permitted the police to act. Gokhale highlighted the prompt action taken by the West Bengal Police after the court clarified its stance on February 26.
Meanwhile, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh demanded the arrest of BJP leader Suvendhu Adhikari and others.
TMC MP Santanu Sen commended the state government’s actions, stating, “His arrest proves that our government follows ‘rajdharma’ in an administrative manner.”
The BJP linked the arrest to its ongoing agitation over the matter, with West Bengal BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar asserting that the government was compelled to act due to the continuous pressure from the BJP and the local community.
The Calcutta High Court clarified on Monday that there was no stay on Sheikh’s arrest and criticized the state government for failing to apprehend him for over 50 days.
