Weighing in on the Calcutta High Court order, directing a CBI probe into alleged atrocities on women and land-grabbing in Sandeshkhali, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on April 11 said the people at the receiving end of such crimes will soon get the desired justice if the central agency is allowed to work ‘independently’.
His remark assumes significance in light of the attack on an NIA team at Bhupatinagar in Purba Medinipur district earlier while rounding up some suspects in connection with an ongoing blast probe. The incident opened a fresh front between the ruling TMC and the BJP, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claiming that the NIA officers were carrying out the raid without leaving any prior word of intimation with the state police.
The BJP hit back, claiming that the incident bared the complete collapse of law and order in the State.
In another similar incident earlier, a team from the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) came under attack from locals while carrying out a raid at the residence of jailed former TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan in connection with a ration ‘scam’ case.
Speaking to media persons after addressing a public meeting at Jalpaiguri in North Bengal on April 11, Adhikari said, “We welcome the (high court) order. You will see the results and the people of Sandeshkhali will get justice if the CBI is allowed to work independently. However, if the state police stall the probe or play a role in placing obstacles in the way of a fair and unbiased investigation, you may not see the results as expected,” Adhikari said.
Earlier in the day, the Calcutta High Court on April 10, directed a court-monitored investigation by the CBI into the alleged cases of sexual assault and land grabbing in Sandeshkhali.
The women of Sandeshkhali in the North 24 Parganas district came out on the streets earlier against the ruling TMC and Shahjahan, accusing the strongman and his aides of perpetrating gross excesses and atrocities on them while also gobbling up their land.
Multiple women on the island accused Shajahan and his aides of “land-grab and sexual assault” under coercion.
Earlier, a court in Kolkata remanded Shahjahan in ED custody till April 13 following his arrest in connection with the attack on the team from the central agency. ED also found many illegal financial transactions in the shrimp import and export business over the course of its probe against the expelled TMC strongman. The agency also filed two Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIR) against him.
(with inputs from ANI)
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