The West Bengal Police announced the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan, the leader of the Trinamool Congress and the primary accused in the Sandeshkhali case. The leader and his associates are accused of robbing women of their sexuality and land fraud in Sandeshkhali.
A special Bengal police team apprehended Sheikh Shahjahan in the North 24 Parganas district at around midnight. He had spent 55 days evading arrest. He was brought to the Basirhat court following his arrest.

Prior to the arrest, the team had been keeping an eye on the leader’s whereabouts for a few days, according to the authorities.

Three days after the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court issued an order to include Sheikh Shahjahan in the Sandeshkhali case, the arrest has taken place.

The Calcutta High Court Justice requested to issue a notice in the case on February 26 and stated, “There is no reason not to arrest him.”

In this instance, public notice is required. In Sandeshkhali cases, no stay order is in place. The Court stated, “There is no justification for not arresting him”.

The opposition was accused of taking advantage of the previous “embargo” on his arrest by the ruling Trinamool Congress, which celebrated the arrest and claimed it was only possible because the court cleared the way.

This month, a number of women in Sandeshkhali, in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, have been participating in large-scale protests against Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh. These women are demanding justice for what they believe to be atrocities committed by the TMC leader.

Strongman Shajahan Sheikh of the Trinamool Congress and his allies have been accused by many women in Sandeshkhali of “land-grab and sexual assault” under duress. The leader, who has been evading capture since January 5, has a history of involvement in multiple criminal cases, including the 2019 murder of three BJP employees.