Sandeshkhali attack: ED moves Calcutta HC challenging FIR against attack on its personnel

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday approached Calcutta High Court challenging an FIR filed by police against those officials of central agency who were attacked along with CAPF personnel while they attempted to raid the residence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

The ED counsel approached the single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta and claimed that new avenues are being opened every day to harass the agency officials, and an intervention of the court is necessary so that agency officials can go ahead with their investigation without facing any hurdle.

Justice Sengupta has admitted the petition and the matter is expected to come up for hearing any day during the current week.

The ED move came just a day after state agriculture and parliamentary affairs minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay warned the central agencies of a repeat of the Sandeshkhali incident.

“If ED and CBI are there, Trinamool Congress too has its student and youth wings. The explosion of public grievance has now happened at one place in West Bengal. In future, similar things will happen throughout the country,” said Chattopadhyay on Tuesday.

Sources said three FIRs have been registered at the local Nazat police station on the Sandeshkhali incident. The first is on the basis of the complaint filed by ED accusing followers of TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan, at whose house the raid and search operations were attempted, of attacking the ED and accompanying CAPF personnel.

In its complaint, the ED said not only were three of their officers severely injured in the attack and had to be hospitalised, but their personal and official belongings like mobile phones, laptops and wallets were robbed.

The second FIR was based on a complaint filed by an associate of the accused TMC leader accusing the ED of trying to forcefully break open the main entrance of the residence without furnishing any search warrant. The third FIR was filed suo motu by Nazat police station.

Earlier, the ED had issued a strongly-worded statement accusing West Bengal Police of diluting the seriousness of the charges on the attack of its officials by largely incorporating clauses related to bailable and non-scheduled offences in the first FIR filed on the basis of the complaint filed by the agency.