ABVP Workers Protest Amid Sandeshkhali Row, Police Resort To Lathi-charge

In Siliguri on Monday, West Bengal Police resorted to lathi charges against protesters from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) who were demonstrating against the state government over the Sandeshkhali incident. The demonstrators, chanting slogans against the government, were subsequently detained by the police.

Simultaneously, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued summons to nine individuals, including associates of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Seikh, to appear before it on Monday regarding the alleged attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Sandeshkhali on January 5. The individuals summoned are required to present themselves at the Nizam Palace, the CBI office in Kolkata.

Shahjahan Seikh was apprehended by the West Bengal police on February 29 and was presented in court after the culmination of his 10-day police custody. The Basirhat Sub-Divisional Court then remanded Shahjahan to four-day CBI custody concerning the January 5 assault on the ED team in Sandeshkhali.

Previously, under the directive of the Calcutta High Court, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Kolkata Police transferred custody of Shahjahan Seikh to the CBI. The High Court, in its ruling, issued a contempt notice to the CID, asserting that the case concerning the attack on ED officials should be transferred to the CBI along with custody of the main accused, Shahjahan. The court further criticized the state police’s handling of the matter, stating they engaged in evasion tactics.

In addition to the alleged assault on an ED team during a raid at his Sandeshkhali residence regarding an alleged ration scam, Shahjahan Seikh faces accusations of land encroachment, extortion, and perpetrating violence against women along with his associates.

The women of Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district staged vehement protests, alleging serious misconduct and atrocities committed by Shahjahan and his cohorts. Multiple women in the area accused Shahjahan and his associates of coercion, land-grabbing, and sexual assault.