E-Paper
‘DGP said can’t arrest Shah Jahan': NCW chief's big claim on Sandeshkhali case
Shah Jahan, known as ‘Bhai’, is on the run after his supporters attacked a team of ED officials who had gone to Sandeshkhali to search his premises
National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma on Tuesday claimed that the West Bengal director general of police said he cannot arrest local Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shah Jahan as ‘there is nothing against him’.
After meeting state top cop Rajeev Kumar, Sharma told news agency ANI,"It is huge that the DGP met me. I have come to West Bengal for the 8th-9th time, and the DGP never meets.The DGP agreed that the police have lacked... We suggested that all the police officials there (in Sandeshkhali) should be changed. "
However, the women's panel chief claimed that Kumar's attitude changed after 1-2 phone calls. “He cut short the meeting. When we took Shah Jahan's name, he did not like it. He (DGP) asked us how he can arrest Shah Jahan when there is nothing against him. He said that the ED should arrest Shah Jahan, not him. If there is nothing against him, then what will the police investigate,” she said.
ALSO READ: PM Modi to visit Sandeshkhali in Mamata turf Bengal? BJP leader drops big hint
“I think DGP's hands are tied, he cannot do anything. We can imagine the pressure he is in... I think he is serious but how can he work under pressure,” Sharma added.
ALSO READ: ‘Mamata did not meet us’: Sandeshkhali women say ‘risky to live’ in village
Sandeshkhali, a village in North 24 Parganas district, has become the latest flashpoint between the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Several women have accused Sheikh Shah Jahan and his supporters of sexually assaulting women in their TMC office on gunpoint.
ALSO READ: BJP MLAs reach violence-hit Sandeshkhali after police stop them briefly
The NCW chief had visited Sandeshkhali on Monday and met the victims. After the visit, Sharma had called for the resignation of Mamata Banerjee and called for the imposition of President's Rule in the state.
Shah Jahan, known as ‘Bhai’, is on the run after his supporters attacked a team of Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to Sandeshkhali to search his premises in the ration scam.
Having started out as a union leader in a brick kiln, Sheikh Shah Jahan had started his political career with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and later joined the TMC after it came to power in Bengal.
(With ANI inputs)
