Sandeshkhali attack: ED moves Calcutta HC challenging FIR against attack on its personnel

Kolkata, Jan 10 (IANS) ED on Wednesday approached Calcutta High Court challenging an FIR filed by police against those officials of central agency who were attacked along with CAPF personnel while they attempted to raid the residence of Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

The ED counsel approached the single- judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta and claimed that new avenues are being opened every day to harass the agency officials and an intervention of the court is necessary so that the agency officials can go ahead with their investigation without facing any hurdle.

Justice Sengupta has admitted the petition and the matter is expected to come up for hearing any day during the current week.

ED’s move happened just a day after the state Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay warned the central agencies of a repeat of the Sandeshkhali incident.

“If ED and CBI are there, Trinamool Congress too has its students’ and youth wings. The explosion of public grievance has now happened at one place in West Bengal. In future, similar things will happen throughout the country,” said Chattopadhyay on Tuesday.

Sources said three FIRs have been registered at the local Nazat Police Station on the Sandeshkhali incident. The first is on the basis of the complaint filed by ED accusing the followers of the Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, at whose house the raid and search operations were attempted, of attacking the ED and accompanying CAPF personnel

In its complaint the ED said that in the attack not only three of their officers were severely injured and had to be hospitalised, but also their personal and official belongings like mobile phones, laptops and wallet were robbed.

The second FIR was based on a complaint filed by an associate of the accused Trinamool Congress leader accusing ED of trying to forcefully break open the main entrance door of the residence without furnishing any search warrant.

The third FIR was filed sumo motu by the cops of Nazat Police Station.

Earlier, the ED by issuing a strongly- worded statement had also accused West Bengal Police of diluting the seriousness of the charges on the attack of its officials by incorporating mainly the clauses related to bailable and non-scheduled offences in the first FIR filed on the basis of the complaint filed by the agency.

–IANS

src/dan