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Calcutta HC orders stay on FIR against ED officials
The Calcutta high court on Thursday issued an interim stay on an FIR registered by the West Bengal police against ED officials, who conducted a search at the house of a TMC leader in Sandeshkhali on January 5.
The Calcutta high court on Thursday issued an interim stay on a first information report (FIR) registered by the West Bengal police against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials, who conducted a search at the house of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader in Sandeshkhali on January 5.
“The single bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha put an interim stay on the FIR till March 31. The court will again hear the matter on January 22,” a lawyer aware of the matter said, declining to be named.
The order came a day after the federal agency moved the court praying for quashing of the FIR lodged against its officials at the Nazat police station in North 24 Parganas district, stating that false allegations have been levelled against them.
ED has said that its three officials were injured, and their mobile phones, laptops and wallets allegedly “looted” on January 5 when they went to Sandeshkhali to search the premises of Shajahan Sheikh, a block-level leader of the ruling TMC, in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution scam in the eastern state.
The agency also said that Sheikh is absconding and a look-out circular (LC) against him has been issued, alerting all land, air and sea ports to stop his exit from the country.
The federal agency has lodged a complaint at the Nazat police station in connection with the assault. The state police, meanwhile, also registered an FIR against the ED team based on a complaint lodged by Didar Baksh Molla, the caretaker of TMC leader’s house, who accused the ED officials of theft and misbehaving with women when they went to raid Sheikh’s house on January 5.
In the FIR, registered on January 7, the police have slapped sections 354 (assault on woman to outrage modesty), 447 (criminal trespass) and 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the agency officials.
No arrest has been made in any of the FIRs till Thursday, police officers said.
The issue has triggered a political row in the state, with the opposition Bharataiya Janata Party (BJP) lashing at the state government over the attack on the ED team, while the ruling TMC blaming the federal agency of “harassing” non-BJP leaders.
On Thursday, BJP workers demonstrated near Nazat police station against alleged police inaction in apprehending Sheikh. The BJP workers led by state party chief Sukanta Majumdar marched about a kilometre to the police station and squatted before the barricade when they were stopped. Later, a five-member BJP delegation went inside the police station and submitted a memorandum to the officer present there demanding Sheikh’s arrest at the earliest.
“Six days have passed since the audacious attack on the ED officials who went to Sahajahan Sheikh’s residence to unravel the mystery of his illegally amassed wealth and the money trail. The attack on the central agency’s investigators was pre-planned by him. He is still eluding the agency with active support from the ruling party,” Majumdar told reporters. “We demand a specific time frame by the police for Shiekh’s arrest.”
Hitting back, TMC lawmaker Santanu Sen said: “Every citizen knows how central agencies such as ED and CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] are being used against non-BJP parties to harass them. We saw how ED officials went to the village and provoked local residents. When police started investigation, they refused to cooperate. On the orders of the BJP, they are trying to malign the TMC and are trying to create a confusion and lawlessness.”
