Sandeshkhali Violence: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien on Thursday said party leader Shahjahan Sheikh, who was arrested earlier today, has been suspended from the party for six years. "TMC has decided to suspend Sheikh from the party for six years," Derek O'Brien told reporters in Kolkata.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Shahjahan's close aide Aamir Ali Gazi has been arrested by West Bengal Police from Jharkhand, SDPO Minakha Aminul Islam Khan said, as reported by news agency ANI.
After being on the run for 55 days, the TMC strongman was arrested in the early hours of Thursday. The strife-torn Sandeshkhali witnessed violent protests led by women in the area in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Sheikh was the party convenor of Sandeshkhali assembly constituency and was also a member of TMC held North 24 Parganas Zilla Parishad.
"We have decided to suspend Shajahan Sheikh from the party for 6 years. As always, we walk the talk. We have set examples in the past, and we are doing that today. "But we dare the BJP to suspend leaders, who have corruption cases against them and have several criminal cases against them," O'Brien said at a press conference.
On Thursday, the Calcutta High Court stated that the court has "no sympathy" for Shajahan Sheikh. According to PTI, the court asked his lawyer to appear before it on March 4 when a suo motu motion on alleged sexual atrocities and land grabbing of tribal people at Sandeshkhali will be heard.
Sheikh's lawyer appeared before the court and sought to make an urgent submission with regard to his client. A division bench presided by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam asked him to appear before it on Monday, when a suo motu motion on alleged sexual atrocities and land grabbing of tribal people at Sandeshkhali is scheduled to be heard. The court said that if Sheikh had given vakalatnama to the lawyer, then his whereabouts were known.