 "Shahjahan arrested after 55 days; PM Modi to visit Bengal on Friday")
The West Bengal Police on Thursday arrested Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh, who was accused of grabbing land and harassing villagers in Sandeshkhali.
Sheikh's arrest followed a 55-day evasion period marked by violent protests.
It has ignited a fresh round of recriminations between the ruling party Trinamool Congress and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the issue, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to land in West Bengal on Friday on a two-day visit.
The political slugfest could impact the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state. With 42 seats at stake, the BJP is keen to hold on, even add, to its 2019 tally of 18 seats.
The Trinamool, which won 22 seats five years back, is striving to check BJP’s march.
After Sheikh’s arrest, the BJP alleged the Trinamool leader was in protective custody of the state police.
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The Trinamool has suspended Sheikh from the party for six years. Contesting the BJP’s claims, the Trinamool attributed the delay in his arrest to the court embargo on his arrest.
The PM will be in Bengal for a two-day tour from Friday, where he will address two public rallies and inaugurate several government initiatives in Hooghly and Nadia districts, state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said.
“The PM will return to the state on March 6 to address a rally at Barasat in North 24 Parganas,” Majumdar said.
"We have decided to suspend Shajahan Sheikh from the party for six 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,” Trinamool leader Derek O'Brien said.
Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said Sheikh’s arrest was initially hindered due to legal complexities. “However, following the court's clarification that no stay was imposed on his arrest, the West Bengal Police executed their duty,” he said.
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed that Sheikh can be arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or the West Bengal Police.
Trinamool MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said the stay on Sheikh’s arrest was imposed due to the intervention of ED officials.
Presented before Basirhat court, Sheikh was sent on a 10-day remand in police custody.
Sandeshkhali, located on the fringes of the Sunderbans, has witnessed political heat for over a month due to accusations against Sheikh and his cohorts of sexual abuse and land grabs.
Sheikh's evasion began after an ED team investigating an alleged ration scam was assaulted by a mob outside his residence on January 5.