Sheikh Shahjahan Arrested: Commenting on the arrest of the Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar said that BJP's endeavours to bring the case forward, eventually “compelled” the Mamata Banerjee government to arrest the absconding leader. Amid the raging Sandeshkhali uprising, the West Bengal Police arrest Shahjahan on Thursday. The TMC leader who was accused of committing sexual atrocities on women and land-grabbing was arrested from a house in Minakhan in North 24 Parganas district. While addressing a press briefing on Thursday, Majumdar claimed that the West Bengal government was in “denial mode”.

“Due to the continuous agitation by the BJP, this government was compelled to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan. The government was in denial mode. They were not even accepting that anything as such had happened. I had already said that we would compel the government to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan,” the West Bengal BJP President averred. “Today, due to the agitation of the BJP and the women of Sandeshkhali, the government and Mamata Banerjee are compelled to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan,” he added. According to the information obtained by Republic, the disgraced politician's medical examination was done before 4 am at the Basirhat hospital. "Shahjahan was arrested from Minakhan in the North 24 Parganas district," Minakhan SDPO Aminul Islam Khan confirmed. "He will be produced before the Basirhat Court at 2 pm today," the SDPO added.

While speaking to the Republic, the West Bengal BJP President went on to claim that the state's police were aware of Shahjahan's movement. “We will have to see which sections have been invoked against Shahjahan Sheikh. Police were aware of his movement. You will soon see Sheikh Shahjahan in a hospital and not in jail. Police will try to save him. I would like to salute the women of Sandeshkhali," Majumdar added. 

After a ‘free run' TMC leader is finally behind bars

It is important to note that Shahjahan has been evading arrest by both the state and the central agencies for over a month. In light of this, Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district witnessed a widespread uprising against the TMC strongman this month. Several women in the region were seeking justice against the alleged atrocities committed by the TMC leader. The women accused Sheikh Shahjahan and his close aides of "land-grab and sexual assault" under coercion. 

The arrest came three days after the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice ordered to issue a notice in the case and said, "There is no reason to not arrest him." "Public notice shall be given in this case. There is no stay order in Sandeshkhali cases. There is no reason to not arrest him," the Court explained. Prior to this, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) raided nearly half a dozen locations in West Bengal on February 23. The raids were conducted in the residences of Trinamool Congress leader and his close aides in connection with the alleged land-grabbing case.