West Bengal: TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan remanded to 10-day police custody

NORTH 24 PARGANAS: West Bengal's Basirhat Court remanded Trinamool Congress' (TMC) Sheikh Shahjahan to 10-day police custody on Thursday. Lawyer Raja Bhowmick, who represented Shahjahan in court, said, "14-day police custody (of Sheikh Shahjahan) was demanded, but the court allowed 10-day custody."

"On March 10, he will be produced in court again," Raja Bhowmick said. Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police on Thursday morning in connection with an alleged assault on ED officers during a raid in January earlier this year. West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose called Shahjahan's arrest an 'eye-opener', adding that it is only the 'beginning'. "Today in Bengal, we see the beginning of an end. The arrest of the prime accused in the Sandeshkhali incidents is an eye-opener for everyone. This is only the beginning. We have to put an end to violence in Bengal," Ananda Bose said.

"In many pockets of Bengal, we all realise that gangsters are ruling unchecked by law enforcement agencies. What we see is only the tip of the iceberg. 'Gundaraj' is very much there in many pockets of Bengal. Strong action has to be taken. This has to be nipped in the bud," he added.

He further said that considerate action should be taken to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. "We have to wait. In democratic governance, we have to wait for justice to be done. If any lapses have taken place from the government or any other authority, we still have time to look into that," the governor said.

"Now, what is required is a considerate action to see that these kinds of things do not happen in future. Action has to be taken against a particular culprit who has been apprehended. My suggestion for all the gangsters is - treat this as an occasion to surrender, otherwise, preventive action has to be taken," he added. Shahjahan had been evading arrest by both state and central agencies for over a month. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the arrest was a 'mutual adjustment'.

"This is not an arrest, this is a mutual adjustment. Unless the central agencies take him into their custody, the people there won't get justice. He will get five-star facilities in jail. He will use his mobile phone inside and control the area from there," the LoP said while speaking to reporters while on the way to Sandeshkhali on Thursday.

Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district had been witnessing widespread protests against TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh this month as a section of women were seeking justice against alleged atrocities committed by the TMC leader.

A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused Shajahan Sheikh and his close aides of "land-grab and sexual assault" under coercion.