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Fresh political tussle breaks out in Bengal over CBI's Sandeshkhali raid
On Saturday, too, a team of CBI officials visited Agarhati and questioned villagers about Abu Taleb, from whose house the arms were recovered.
The federal agencies may have staged the recovery of arms and ammunition from Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged on Saturday even as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) accusing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of “throttling” the opposition parties during the general elections.
The development comes a day after CBI on Friday recovered several arms and ammunition during raids at two locations in Agarhati village of Sandeshkhali in West Bengal in connection with its probe into the attack on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team earlier this year by a mob allegedly instigated by suspended TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh. On Saturday, too, a team of CBI officials visited Agarhati and questioned villagers about the whereabouts of Abu Taleb, from whose house the arms were recovered. Taleb has been reported absconding.
The Bengal government, meanwhile, moved the Supreme Court on Friday against a Calcutta high court order directing a CBI probe into allegations of extortion, land grab, and sexual assault from Sandeshkhali against Shahjahan and his aides.
Read more: 'BJP in conspiracy with CBI, NSG': TMC moves EC over Sandeshkhali raid
Addressing an election rally at Kulti in West Burdwan district, Banerjee attacked the BJP-led central government over the raids. “Nobody knows where it (the arms and ammunition) was recovered from. Maybe, they (central agencies) brought it from their own car and presented it as recovered items. There is no evidence to show it was found there (in the house),” she said.
The riverine island of Sandeshkhali has been in the eye of the storm since January 5, when ED officers arrived to search the home of Shahjahan, a close aide of former minister Jyoti Priya Mallick, who was arrested in October last year in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam. The ED team came under attack from an angry mob, leaving three officers injured.
The next month, violent protests erupted in the area with village women demanding the arrest of Shahjahan and his aides over allegations of sexual assault and land grabbing. Shahjahan was arrested by the state police on February 29.
Meanwhile, the TMC has lodged a complaint with the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Bengal stating that CBI had “deliberately carried out an unscrupulous” raid at an “empty location” at Sandeshkhali. “The purported recovery is possibly a ploy employed by the BJP in conspiracy with the CBI and NSG to plant such weapons at the site,” the party said in a letter to the poll body.
Read more: ‘Arrest Mamata, declare TMC a terror outfit’, demands BJP leader after CBI searches at premises of Sandeshkhali accused
The BJP hit back at the TMC over the allegations. “How did a police revolver find its way to criminals like Sheikh Shahjahan? Was it stolen from the State Armoury? Was it ever reported? Custodial interrogation of Bengal DGP can shed light on it. Or worse, is the West Bengal Police, under Mamata Banerjee as Home Minister, now part of a thriving terror syndicate, which deals in illegal foreign weapons, being smuggled into the country? It is now clear that Sheikh Shahjahan was not just a rapist but also a terrorist.The CM must speak up,” BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya posted on X.
Blast at BJP leader’s house sparks row
An explosion at a local BJP leader’s residence at Hasnabad, around 35 km from Sandeshkhali, erupted a war of words between the ruling TMC and the BJP. According to the police, the blast took place at the house of BJP leader Dilip Das.
“A woman was injured when a blast took place in a house at Hasnabad on Saturday morning. She was rushed to the hospital where she was treated and discharged,” said an IPS officer of Basirhat police district.
TMC chief Banerjee took a swipe at the BJP over the incident. “Even today I heard there was an incident near Sandeshkhali. A BJP leader had stored bombs in his house. They can’t win by cancelling jobs and exploding bombs. People want roti, kapda and makan and jobs and not their lofty speeches,” she added.
The BJP quickly retorted. “Knowing that defeat is imminent, TMC leaders are freaking out. They are trying to divert attention. It should be probed whether the TMC has a role behind the blast in the Hasnabad case,” said party leader Rahul Sinha.
