The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday issued a lookout notice for Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh, reported The Hindu.
This came a day after three officers of the central agency were assaulted in the Sandeshkhali village of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district when they were carrying out raids at Sheikh’s home in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam. The case pertains to alleged corruption in ration distribution during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The central agency said in a press release that its officials suffered serious injuries due to the assault and were hospitalised. It also stated that a complaint was filed with the jurisdictional police for the registration of the first information report.
Following this, the West Bengal Police registered three FIRs, including one against the Enforcement Directorate officials, reported The Indian Express on Sunday.
The officials were booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 441 (criminal trespass), 379 (intention to commit theft) and 354 (outraging a woman’s modesty) based on a complaint filed by the caretaker of Sheikh’s house.
The other two FIRs – one based on the central agency’s complaint and another registered suo moto – were filed under IPC Sections 147, 148, 149 (punishment for rioting) and 353 (assault on public servants).
Meanwhile, two officers who were injured have been discharged from a hospital in Kolkata. The third officer, who suffered head injuries and was admitted to the High Dependency Unit, is stable.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has asked the state’s police chief to arrest people involved in the attack on the agency’s officials and report compliance at the earliest, according to India Today.
The Enforcement Directorate had said that when they arrived at Sheikh’s house on Friday, the door was locked from inside and the Trinamool leader refused to open it.
“His mobile location at that time indicated that he was inside this house,” read the release. “Thereafter, the ED team was taken by surprise that within half an hour, a crowd/mob of around 800-1000 persons marching towards them with weapons in their hands such as lathis, stones, bricks etc. and gheraoed the ED officials and CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] personnel.”
The agency said that the mob pelted stones at the team and also shouted slogans against the Enforcement Directorate and the Central government.
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