"Mutual Adjustment": Suvendu Adhikari On Arrest Of Sandeshkhali Accused

West Bengal’s Leader of Opposition (LoP), Suvendu Adhikari, has raised eyebrows over the arrest of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan, stating, “This is not an arrest; this is a mutual adjustment.”

“Bhaskar Mukherjee (DIG, Malda Range), took him (Sheikh Shahjahan) in the car to Palta and then to Bhushi Ratil. This is not arrest, this is a mutual adjustment. Unless the central agencies take him into their custody, the people there won’t get justice. There is no protection from the court and this is not an interlocutory stay. This misconception has been created by the leaders of TMC and the police. I am again and again saying that it’s not an arrest; it’s a mutual adjustment,” Suvendu Adhikari said.

The LoP’s statements add a layer of controversy to the arrest, with Adhikari alleging that Shahjahan would enjoy “5-star facilities in jail.”

“He will get 5-star facilities in jail. He will use his mobile phone inside and control the area from there. He will engage in illegal activities and thuggery from inside the jail,” Suvendu Adhikari said.

Amid tension in Sandeshkhali, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police today in the morning in connection with allegations of ‘sexual assault and land grab,’ officials said.”

Shahjahan was arrested from Minakhan in the North 24 Parganas district,” Minakhan SDPO Aminul Islam Khan told ANI.”

He will be produced before the Basirhat Court at 2 pm today,” the SDPO added.

Shahjahan had been evading arrest by both state and central agencies for over a month.

Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district has been witnessing widespread protests against TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh this month as a section of women were seeking justice against alleged atrocities committed by the TMC leader.

A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused Shajahan Sheikh and his close aides of “land-grab and sexual assault” under coercion.

The arrest comes three days after the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice ordered the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan in the Sandeshkhali case.

Meanwhile, Suvendu Adhikari, along with BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh, is on the way to Sandeshkhali after Calcutta High Court on Wednesday allowed them to visit the area.

On Wednesday, the Calcutta High Court allowed the six members of an independent fact-finding team by the Centre, led by a former judge of the Patna High Court, to go to battleground Sandeshkhali on Friday.

The six-member team, headed by Justice Narsimha Reddy, former Chief Justice of Patna High Court, also comprised of fellow members Charu Bali Khanna, Bhavna Bajaj, OP Vyas, Rajpal Singh, Aparna Banerjee and Bandana Biswas.

The fact-finding team is scheduled to visit Majherpara, Natunpara, and Naskarpara localities in Sandeshkhali.

Justice Kaushik Chandra of the HC bench also allowed Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari to go to Sandeshkhali on Thursday on the condition that he should not be making any inflammatory comments during his visit.