Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan has been arrested by West Bengal Police in connection with Sandeshkhali violence.
Sandeshkhali, in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, witnessed a series of protests in the recent past against the allegations of land grab and sexual abuse by Sheikh and his supporters.
The absconding TMC leader was arrested by the police from the Minakhan area in North 24 Parganas on Wednesday night and taken to Basirhat Court, said Minakhan SDPO, Aminul Islam Khan, as per news agency ANI.
"Sheikh Shahjahan, one of the principal accused in a case which happened on 5th January 2024 where ED officers were assaulted during the course of raid they were conducting...We arrested him yesterday night from Minakha Police area," said Additional Director General of Police (South Bengal) Supratim Sarkar.
"We have forwarded Sheikh Shahjahan to Basirhat court...We will ask for Police remand...," Sarkar said while speaking to reporters on Thursday morning.
Sheikh Shahjahan will be produced before the Basirhat court at 2 pm on Thursday, Khan added.
The arrest of the 42-year-old TMC leader, who faces charges ranging from money laundering to harassment, comes a day after the Calcutta High Court directed that he can be arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate or the West Bengal police.
ALSO READ: Sandeshkhali: Who Is TMC's Sheikh Shahjahan, At The Centre Of Protests Keeping Bengal On Boil
On February 26, the court ordered the arrest of Sheikh by the police authority.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose had also asked the Mamata Banerjee government on Monday night to file a report within 72 hours if they fail to nab Sheikh. He also asked the Bengal government to probe the alleged incident of a child being thrown away by the miscreants in Sandeshkhali and submit a report to his office.
In his letter written to the state government, Bose said, "In the light of the decision of the Calcutta High Court, the prime accused in the Sandeshkhali incidents, Shajahan Sheikh, may be arrested immediately, failing which reasons for the same may be reported within 72 hours."