Sandeshkhali horror accused TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh arrested

Kolkata: 55 days after the team of Enforcement Directorate was attacked by Mamata Banerjee's TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh in Sandeshkhali, Bengal Police arrested him on Thursday. The ED team was attacked on January 5.

The arrest comes a day after the Calcutta High Court directed that the Trinamool Congress leader, the main accused in sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing at Sandeshkhali, can be arrested by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or the West Bengal Police.

On a prayer by the state's advocate general, the court clarified its order of February 26 in which it had ordered the arrest of Sheikh by the police authority.

A division bench presided by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam clarified that the court in its February 7 order had only stayed the constitution of a joint special investigation team (SIT) of the CBI and West Bengal Police by a single bench to probe an attack on ED officials.

The division bench directed that it will be "well open to the CBI or the ED also to arrest" the absconding Sheikh, noting that he has been on the run for a substantial period.

ED officials were attacked by a nearly 1,000-member strong mob at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on January 5 when they went to search the premises of Sheikh in connection with its probe into an alleged ration distribution scam in the state.