Was there a conspiracy to kill prime witness in case against TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan?

Bholanath Ghosh, one of the prime witnesses against TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan in the attack on ED officials in Sandeshkhali and connected CBI cases, which implicated now-jailed TMC leader, was critically injured when a truck collided with his car in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday.

Ghosh's younger son, Satyajit (32), and the driver of his car, Sahanur Molla (27), were killed in the accident that took place on the Basanti Highway near the Boyramari petrol pump under the Nazat Police Station limits in Basirhat.

Ghosh, accompanied by his son, was on the Basirhat sub-divisional court to appear in connection with one of the many cases that Shahjahan had filed against him.

Basirhat Superintendent of Police Hossain Mehedi Rahaman confirmed that the injured Ghosh was first taken to a local hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Kolkata.

Why is a conspiracy alleged?

Ghosh's elder son, Biswajit, claimed that this was a planned attempt to murder his father.

According to media reports, the truck dragged the private vehicle and dumped it in a water body adjacent to the road, police confirmed.

The truck was found on the side of the highway. The driver fled the spot.

Biswajit was quoted as saying by the local media reports, "When there is an accident, it hits once. Here, the lorry hit the car three times. There was an attempt to deliberately push the car into the pond. He wanted to kill my father. Shahjahan planned everything from prison."

"Even after the accident, the driver got out of the lorry and fled on a bike that was waiting for him. From this, it is clear that the entire script was planned in advance," he claimed.

Media reports claim that Ghosh survived only because he decided to sit in the back seat that day, although he usually sits in the front seat.

BJP slams TMC

BJP leader Amit Malviya alleged that "It is obvious that Shahjahan is eliminating witnesses one by one while sitting in jail,” and asked, "Is there any room for doubt that he has Mamata Banerjee’s patronage?"

He further claimed, "The truck was reportedly being driven by Abdul Halim Mollah, a close aide of Shahjahan, along with his associate Nazrul Mollah. Abdul Halim Mollah has been listed as a fugitive in the CBI diary for a long time."