A team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has reached the headquarters of West Bengal Police on Wednesday evening to take custody of Shahjahan Sheikh, the key accused in the Sandeshkhali violence case.
The Calcutta High Court, in a fresh directive, has ordered the West Bengal government to hand over Shajahan to the CBI by 4.15 pm.
The high court had ordered the transfer of the case to the CBI on Tuesday, but the central agency failed to get custody of Shahjahan, with the police refusing to hand him over, citing that the state government has moved the Supreme Court challenging the HC order.
Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police on February 29 after being on the run for more than a month since a mob allegedly affiliated to him attacked a team of Enforcement Directorate officials in Sandeshkhali on January 15. The ED team had reached the village to search the TMC leader’s premises in connection with a ration scam.
The state government was under pressure to arrest him after scores of women took to the streets, accusing the TMC leader of sexual assault and land grabs.
The high court transferred the probe to the CBI, noting that the state police investigation is “totally biased”.
"The act of the state police would be sufficient to hold that the state police are totally biased and every attempt is being made to delay the investigation in order to protect the accused, who has been absconding for more than 50 days," said a division bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam.
