The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said that it has filed its first chargesheet against suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh and three others in connection with allegations of land-grabbing.
The central agency has named Sheikh along with his brother Alamgir, and his aides Shiba Prasad Hazra and Deedar Baksh in its prosecution complaint filed before a Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Kolkata.
The complaint alleged that Sheikh “created a criminal empire revolving around land grabbing, illegal fish farming/trading, grabbing brick fields, cartelisation of contracts, collection of illegal taxes/levies, commission on land deals, etc”.
On January 5, the officials of the Enforcement Directorate were allegedly attacked by a mob with stones, bricks and batons at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. The attack occurred when the officials were raiding Sheikh’s house in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam.
Following this, several local women had accused Sheikh, Hazra and another of Sheikh’s associates Uttam Sardar, of torturing and sexually harassing them over several years and also of grabbing their lands for prawn cultivation.
Sheikh was arrested by the police on February 29. His custody was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation on March 6 on directions from the Calcutta High Court.
In February, the Enforcement Directorate filed a fresh case in connection with the allegations of land-grabbing. The report was filed after raids at six places, including two businessmen’s houses in Howrah and south Kolkata.
The Enforcement Directorate’s investigation is based on 13 first information reports registered by the West Bengal Police under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.
On Thursday, the central agency said that the statements of local farmers, landowners and fish merchants, among others, had been recorded. Searches were also conducted, it said, adding that three cars belonging to Sheikh and Alamgir had been seized.
This comes two days after the Central Bureau of Investigation filed its chargesheet against Sheikh and claimed that he was the key conspirator behind the alleged attack in January on Enforcement Directorate officials.
In the over 100-page chargesheet filed in a Basirhat court, the Central Bureau of Investigation has named seven accused, including Sheikh, Alamgir, Hazra and Baksh.
While Hazra was arrested on February 17, the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Baksh on March 11.
On February 29, Trinamool Congress suspended Sheikh for six years amid mounting pressure on the party to take action against its leader.
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