Sandeshkhali sex abuse row: Absconding TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh arrested

After weeks on the run, absconding Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested on Thursday (Feb 29) from theMinakhan area in North 24 Parganas where he was hiding, according to news agency PTI.Shahjahan and his aides have been accused of systemic gang rape and sexual exploitation of women in the Sandeshkhali area of the district.

The TMC strongmanwas on the run following the attack on Enforcement Directorate officials in Sandeshkhali last month.Additional director general of police (ADG) South Bengal will be holding a press conference later in the day to divulge details about the arrest.

The arrest comes a day after the Calcutta High Court said that the TMC leader can be arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or the West Bengal Police. The court clarified there was no stay on Shahjahan's arrest.

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Moreover, the arrest comes afterWest Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Tuesday (Feb 27) gave a 72-hour ultimatum to Mamata Banerjee government to arrest the strongman. Bose said he would shift base to Sandeshkhali if Shahjahan was not arrested in the stipulated time frame.

"I have written to the state government and given a deadline of 72 hours for the arrest of the main culprit. I will shift my base to Sandeshkhali if the arrest is not made," Bose was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Watch |Sandeshkhali violence: West Bengal Governor directs to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan immediately

What has Shahjahan been accused of?

Sandeshkahlihas been on the boil for the past month ever sinceallegations surfaced againstShahjahan and his men.Despite a multitude of sexual harassment accounts from the victims, the West Bengal police initially refused to take any action against the alleged culprits.

Recently, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) in its report found that Shahjahan tortured the tribals for voting against the party while his aides forcibly took MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) wages from the families.

A three-member panel led by NCST vice-chairperson Ananta Nayak conducted the investigation that led to the startling revelations. Nayak said theWest Bengal Police allegedly "protected" Shahjahan and his accomplices from the heat emanating from the Sandeshkhali incident.

The panel had reportedly received more than 50 complaints of sexual harassment of tribal women and land grabs by Shahjahan and his aides.

(With inputs from agencies)