The CBI has formally charged suspended TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh, along with his brother and five others, with criminal conspiracy and attempted murder in connection with the mob attack on an Enforcement Directorate team in Sandeshkhali on January 5. The agency filed its initial charge sheet in the case before a Basirhat special court on Monday.
The attack occurred when the ED team, investigating the multi-crore ration distribution scam in West Bengal, attempted to raid Sheikh's residence and arrest him due to his alleged ties with arrested former state food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick. The mob, reportedly consisting of around 1,000 individuals, targeted the ED team.
The charge sheet names seven individuals, including Sheikh, his brother Alomgir, and associates Jiauddin Mollah, Mafujar Mollah, and Didarbaksh Mollah. The CBI has invoked sections of the Indian Penal Code related to criminal conspiracy, attempted murder, rioting, and unlawful assembly, among others.
Sandeshkhali, located about 80 km from Kolkata, has been in the spotlight due to allegations of land-grabbing and sexual abuse by Sheikh and his associates, who are involved in fish farming and trading.
The CBI has taken over the investigation into three cases related to the incidents on January 5. Sheikh was initially arrested by the state police on February 29, after which the CBI assumed custody on March 6.
