The Enforcement Directorate has carried out searches against Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh, who is accused in the violence in Sandeshkhali, at six places in West Bengal, including Howrah and Birati, in an old money laundering case. Following the searches, the probe agency filed a complaint against Sheikh.
The raids are still underway at the premises of the TMC leader and other suspects in the case. The agency conducted these raids a day after it issued fresh summons to Shahjahan to join the investigation on February 29.
These raids are part of a new Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) linked with Shahjahan in a land-grabbing matter, ANI reported, citing agency sources. Accompanied by central forces, ED officials have launched the search operation since early morning.
In January, the probe agency also conducted two separate raids on multiple locations on different dates in connection with the Public Distribution System (PDS) scam case. Those places included the residence of Shahjahan's residence in Sandeshkhali.
A large number of women in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district had accused Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of "land-grab and sexually assaulting" them under coercion. Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly affiliated to him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his premises in connection with a ration scam on January 5.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party women activists was on Friday stopped by the police from visiting restive Sandeshkhali in West Bengal.
The BJP team, led by Locket Chatterjee and Agnimitra Paul, both general secretaries of the party's state unit, were stopped by the police, citing prohibitory orders. "We were denied entry to Sandeshkhali by the police citing prohibitory orders. The state government is trying to hide the truth," Paul said, as quoted by PTI.