Sandeshkhali violence: Enforcement Directorate moves Calcutta High Court against police

The central agency sought the intervention of the court and alleged that the state police had not shared any copy of the FIRs that had been drawn up against the ED officers

Tapas Ghosh, Monalisa Chaudhuri, TT, Calcutta, 11.01.24 : The Enforcement Directorate moved a petition before Calcutta High Court on Wednesday alleging that the central agency’s officers who were part of a team that raided the house of Trinamul Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh in Sandeshkhali last Friday and were attacked are now facing criminal cases lodged by the state police.

The central agency sought the intervention of the court and alleged that the state police had not shared any copy of the FIRs that had been drawn up against the ED officers.

The ED submitted before the court that they had come to know through media outlets that a case had been lodged against the agency’s officers who had gone to raid Shahjahan’s house.

“We have not been given a copy of the FIR that has purportedly been drawn up against the ED officers. However, the officers are receiving summons to appear before the police to be examined in connection with the case,” said an ED officer.

The officer added that the central agency had checked and not found the FIR at the Basirhat court or on the website where FIRs are being uploaded.

The ED lawyer on Wednesday made a petition on behalf of the central agency before Justice Jay Sengupta and sought the court’s intervention. The matter is likely to be heard in the same court on Thursday.

Sources in the central agency said they had received “multiple” summons from the Bengal police asking for the presence of senior officers for interrogation in connection with the Sandeshkhali matter.

“A senior officer in the department was summoned at a very short notice today. Even before he could share his availability schedule, a team of officers from Bengal police visited his office at the Salt Lake CGO Complex on Wednesday morning,” said an officer in the ED.

An officer of the rank of deputy superintendent of police from the Basirhat police directorate visited the office of the ED officer of the rank of deputy director to record his statement. The statement could not be recorded, sources said.

Deputy superintendent of police of the Basirhat police directorate, Sananda Goswami, who visited the ED office on Wednesday, said: “Since January 6, we have been seeking details of the officers who went to raid the house of Shahjahan Sheikh. But unfortunately, we have yet to receive any information from the central agency.”

Reacting to allegations that the state police have not shared the copy of the FIR that has been lodged against the ED, a senior officer of the Bengal police said it was not mandatory to share copies of the FIRs except to the complainant.

The officer added that the FIR that has been lodged by the ED has already been shared with the central agency.

The police had started three cases in connection with the incident at Sandeshkhali on January 5.

The first case was lodged against the ED officers for alleged house trespass, criminal intimidation and mischief based on a complaint lodged by Shahjahan’s family.

The second case was lodged suo motu by the police against an “unknown mob” for the attack on government officials and included other charges; the third case was started based on the complaint of the ED against Shahjahan and his associates.

The police said they had already shared the FIR copy of the third case in which ED was the complainant.