In a classic example of the ‘persecuted being prosecuted’ and in apparent eagerness to please its Trinamool Congress masters, the Bengal Police has filed First Information Reports against the Enforcement Directorate officials. These officials were probing the multi-crore ration scam and had, on Friday, raided the premises of TMC strongman Sahjehan Sheikh before being attacked, injured, and chased away by more than a thousand of his supporters. The FIRs were filed on the basis of complaints of alleged “criminal trespass” lodged by the TMC leader’s supporters against the ED officials and the Central armed police force personnel escorting them. In all three FIRs have been lodged. While the first one has been lodged against the ED-CAPF officials two other FIRs have been lodged against unknown persons, police officials said.

It has been alleged in the complaint that the ED officials “attempted to force their way” into Sahjehan’s residence “without showing any search warrant and in violation of the law”, said police sources. The FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 441 (criminal trespass), 379 (intention to commit theft) and 354 (outraging a woman’s modesty).

The other two FIRs were filed under IPC sections 147, 148, 149 (rioting) and 353 (assault on public servants). However none has been named in the two other FIRs.

The Friday’s attack on on-duty ED had created national headlines when about one thousand five hundred people armed with sticks, bamboos and brickbats and other deadly weapons attacked the ED men when they were conducting raids at the Sandeshkhali residence of TMC district board member Sahjehan.

In a first of its kind attack on ED officials in the country their vehicles and those of the media men were badly damaged while the raiding officials, including the CAPF men, were badly beaten up by the TMC goons.

Meanwhile, even as the Centre mounted pressure on the State Government to act against the TMC leader considered a terror in an extensive belt of North and South 24 Parganas adjoining the Sunderbans and the international border with Bangladesh, Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose instructed the State Government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee whom he referred to as “my constitutional colleague” to do the needful as he might have “crossed the border” by this time.”

In an apparent indication of possible line of action of the Centre to the Friday’s attack, the Governor also asked the police to find out whether there was any terror link to the attacks.

His statement tended to be in sync with Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari who earlier demanded a probe by National Investigation Agency.  

A Raj Bhavaan statement said “on receipt of a complaint in the Peace Room of Raj Bhavan that Shahjehan Sheikh is supported by some political leaders with the connivance of some police officers, Hon’ble Governor instructed the Police chief to arrest the culprit forthwith and report compliance.”

The TMC however sharply criticized the Governor’s remarks saying Sahjehan was a politician and not a terrorist. Reacting to Bose’s statements TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh wondered “how and on what basis he can make such statements … the Governor should work in consultation with the State Government. So how can he make such remarks without any concrete report or evidence? Should we assume that he running a parallel government.”

Meanwhile, the police tended to have no clue on the whereabouts of Sahjehan while local sources from the Sandeshkhali said that the TMC strongman might not have been able to cross over to Bangladesh because the border was presently sealed because of the general elections being conducted in that country.

“He tried to cross over to Bangladesh but failed to do so and so he presently shuttling between North and South 24 Parganas with four private armed security men … perhaps a boat has been kept ready for him to move into the deeper areas of the Sunderbans,” a villager at Sarberia said while Sahjehan’s brother Alamgir said that his brother was a law abiding citizen and would “definitely act as per law.”

He also said that “my brother is being falsely fabricated in this case … he was nowhere in the scene … there is no photograph or any other proof of who or whether Sahjehan’s men were attacking the ED vehicles … this is a simple torture on the opposition politicians.”