Calcutta HC Directs Inclusion of Shahjahan Sheikh in Sandeshkhali Case, Citing ‘No Reason’ for Non-Arrest

The Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court issued an order on Monday to include Sheikh Shahjahan, the leader of the Trinamool Congress, in the Sandeshkhali case. “There is no reason not to arrest him,” stated the HC Justice, who asked to issue a notice in the case. In this instance, public notice is required. In Sandeshkhali cases, no stay order is in place. The Court stated, “There is no justification for not arresting him. West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose stated on Monday, amid heightened tensions following the Sandeshkhali incident, that the governor’s role is to monitor when the elected government acts in accordance with the law. The governor will step in if that isn’t done.

“As we know from the newspaper reports, the Police came there, ministers went there, and petitions were received. From what I understand from the newspapers, more than 800 petitions have been received. The process has started, women have come forward, they have started asserting themselves; and now there will be a change…Generals may not fight, they make others fight. The Governor’s job is to see when the elected government takes action within the rule of law. If that is not done, then the Governor will intervene,” he said.
Terming the decision by the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice on Sheikh Shahjahan, as momentous, the Governor added, there is no excuse for not arresting Sheikh Shahjahan and he will be arrested.

He said, “That is a significant ruling or statement made by the high court, meaning that the offender needs to be taken into custody; there is no justification for not doing so; he will be taken into custody; he needs to be taken into custody.” A poultry farm, homes, and offices were vandalized and set on fire during the Sandeshkhali violence. In a suo moto case brought by the police, BJP leader Vikas Singh and CPIM’s former MLA Nirapada Sardar were taken into custody. For the past few days, Sandeshkhali has been in the news because some women are demanding justice for what they believe to be atrocities carried out by TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his associates.

A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of “land-grab and sexual assault” under coercion. Shahjahan continues to evade arrest, with both state police and central agencies unable to trace him.