Amid brewing turmoil over a mob attack on Enforcement Directorate officials in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali on Friday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday issued a lookout notice for Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Sheikh. This development came a day after a massive attack on a team of ED officials which was on its way to raid Sheikh’s house in connection with the ration distribution system scam.
Family members of Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh and the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday filed police complaints against each other.
The police also lodged a suo motu case against the ED for conducting the raid on Friday without any prior notice, reportedly.
According to PTI, Shahjahan’s family filed the complaint at Nazat police station against the ED for raiding their residence without prior information and getting inside allegedly after breaking locks.
The ED reportedly complained to the same police station against Shahjahan and his supporters for attacking their officers and obstructing them in carrying out the raid.
As per media reports, the notice has been shared with all airport authorities and the Border Security Force (BSF) as Sheikh has been on the run after the ED officials were attacked near his residence.
Earlier on Saturday, the federal financial investigation agency arrested former Bongaon Municipality chairman Shankar Adhya in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam in the state on Saturday morning.
Videos on social media showed Adhya purportedly seen being arrested by the ED officials and taken away in a vehicle as a large crowd surrounded it.
Attack on ED officials
A team of the federal financial investigation agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing an alleged ration distribution scam was attacked in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali on Friday. The incident took place when the team had gone to raid Trinamool leader Shah Jahan Sheikh's residence in connection with the alleged scam. It has been reported that Sheikh was later arrested in the case.
According to the officials who were attacked by a mob of nearly a thousand people who marched at them, the attackers came "with an intention to cause death". In their official statement, the central probe agency said the mob marched towards its team and snatched mobile phones, laptops, and cash from the officials.
According to the statement, its officials were "badly attacked" by crowds, and three officers suffered grievous injuries.
"Other officers had to escape from the place of the incident without conducting a search to save their lives as the mob became very violent and even chased the officials so as to deter the officials from performing their official duty," the probe agency said in a statement.
"The mob also snatched/robbed/stole the personal/official belongings of the ED officials such as their mobile phones, laptop, cash, wallets, etc," the statement added
The injured officials were taken to a hospital.
The mob also vandalised the vehicles belonging to the government officials.
Bengal Governor reprimands attack on ED officials
Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose also raised strong objection to the incident in Sandeshkhali and said that the responsibility to contain violence in Bengal lies with the state government.
He also met the injured ED officials at a hospital in Kolkata's Salt Lake City.
"Bengal is not a banana republic. The sole responsibility of preventing violence is with the government. The government should act effectively or face consequences," Bose said.
"It (attack on the ED team) was a ghastly incident. It is alarming and deplorable. A civilised government must stop barbarism and vandalism in a democracy," he added.
