After initial hesitancy the Criminal Investigation Department of the Bengal Police finally handed over TMC strongman and don of Sandeshkhali Sheikh Shahjahan to the Central Bureau of Investigation and transferred the papers related to the case to the central agency.
Shahjahan is the prime accused in the case where his alleged goons on January 5 attacked a team of Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to conduct search operations in his house in connection with the Rs 10,000 crore ration scam, in which senior TMC leader and Bengal minister, Jyotipriya Mallick has gone to jail.
Shahjahan was arrested by Bengal Police more than 55 days after the January 5 incident and days after the local women rose up in revolt in a separate case of land grab and sexual assault by his men.
The transfer comes a day after the Calcutta High Court directed the Bengal Police to transfer the case to the CBI and on a day when a State Government appeal before a Division Bench of the same court was turned down.
The Police had on Tuesday refused to transfer the case and the accused to the CBI citing an appeal filed before the Supreme Court. However the Bench of Justice Harish Tandon on Wednesday ruled that mere filing of an appeal did not impede the process of transfer.
The contention of the central agency before the High Court was that since the police had obtained maximum remand --- of 15 days --- of the accused after the expiry of that time period there would be no scope left for the CBI to seek his remand if he was transferred after that time.