BJP leader Sabyasachi Ghosh has reportedly been arrested over allegations of running a "prostitution racket" in West Bengal's Howrah amid tussle in the state between the saffron party and the ruling TMC over accusations of sexual abuse by latter's Shahjahan Sheikh in Sandeshkhali.
Trinamool Congress reacted to reports of BJP leader's arrest and said in a post on X, "Sabyasachi Ghosh caught running a PROSTITUTION RACKET of MINOR GIRLS in his hotel in Howrah's Sankrail. The Police arrested 11 accused & rescued 6 victims from the spot. THIS IS BJP. They don't protect BETIS, they protect PIMPS!"
This comes amid BJP's demand for the arrest of absconding TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh who, along with his aides, is accused of "land-grab and sexually assaulting" women in the North 24 Parganas district town under coercion.
Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly affiliated with him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his premises in connection with a ration scam on January 5.
West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, who on Thursday staged a sit-in outside Sandeshkhali police station demanding the arrest of absconding TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh, was forcibly removed from the spot by law enforcers and packed off on a boat to be transported from the restive area.
Eight days after sustaining injuries during a protest in nearby Taki while trying to enter Sandeshkhali, a riverine area, Majumdar was on Thursday granted permission by the police to visit the trouble-torn region in North 24 Parganas district.
After meeting party leaders in the area, Majumdar went straight to Sandeshkhali police station and later started a sit-in outside it.
"I will continue my sit-in until Shajahan Sheikh is arrested. It has been so many days, but the police have failed to arrest him," he told reporters while raising slogans against the state government.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted raids at absconding Shahjahan Sheikh's Sandeshkhali residence and booked him under a money laundering case.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) West Bengal unit has refuted any connection with Sabyasachi Ghosh. In a press release, the party clarified that Sabyasachi Ghosh does not hold any official position within the BJP.
The statement from the saffron party also criticized the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the ruling party in West Bengal, accusing them of diverting attention from the issue of sexual violence against women in Sandeshkhali. The BJP alleges that such cases are being manipulated by the TMC to tarnish the party's image.
The press release stated, "It has come to our attention that WB Police has arrested one Sabyasachi Ghosh, on charges of running a prostitution racket in Howrah and claims that he is a BJP leader. BJP West Bengal denies having any association with the accused. We wish to put on record that Sabyasachi Ghosh holds no position in the party."
The BJP further asserted, "This is yet another desperate attempt by the WB Police to distract from the issue of rape and torture in Sandeshkhali to protect Mamata Banerjee. People of West Bengal want to know where is Shahjahan Sheikh? This is the only question Mamata Banerjee and West Bengal Police need to answer."
