Bengal Governor asks state for Trinamool leader's immediate arrest, seeks report
Governor CV Ananda Bose of West bengal has ordered the state administration to submit a report in 72 hours if they are unable to apprehend trinamool congress politician Shahjahan Sheikh, who is being accused of sexual assault and land grabbing, as the turmoil in Sandeshkhali, West bengal, continues. On monday, protesters descended onto the residences of TMC officials in the area, accusing them of torturing peasants, sparking further demonstrations.
Protests have been going on in Sandeshkhali, North 24 Parganas district, for the past few weeks due to accusations made by Sheikh and his followers of stealing land and abusing women sexually. Numerous individuals, purported Sheikh allies Shibapada Hazra and Uttam Sardar among them, were taken into custody. Sheikh, however, has been avoiding the law since january 5, when he was accosted by Enforcement Directorate agents who had gone to seize his Sandeshkhali property.
• On monday night, West bengal governor CV Ananda Bose requested that the state administration provide a report in a maximum of 72 hours in the event that trinamool congress leader Shahjahan Shiekh—who is charged with sexual assault and land grabbing in Sandeshkhal—is not apprehended. Additionally, the governor requested that the state look into the claim that miscreants in Sandeshkhali allegedly threw away a kid and send it to his office.
• The calcutta High court ordered Sheikh to be arrested on monday, making it clear that the order is not being suspended. The court expressed surprise that the state police was notified of the atrocity acts in Sandeshkhali four years prior. The bench stated that there is no record in any of the cases pertaining to incidents at Sandeshkhali that there was a stay on Sheikh's arrest, despite advocates arguing that the court had given the false impression that a stay had been granted on the arrest of Sheikh.
• On monday, new demonstrations broke out in many areas of the volatile Sandeshkhali district when residents stormed the homes of TMC officials in the area, accusing them of torturing people. The TMC team heard the complaints of the villagers who have been protesting against alleged atrocities by local leaders of the ruling party on Sunday, when they visited the unrest-plagued Sandeshkhali for the second day in a row. This sparked the start of new protests.