Two people were taken into custody today (12th January), Mehboob Mollah and Sukamal Sardar, concerning the 5th January attack on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team in the North 24 Parganas area of West Bengal.
Mollah and Sardar are accused of being involved in the violent attack on the investigation agency team during a raid on the home of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Sheikh. Residents of Fokir Tokia, Nazat Police Station in North 24 Parganas, Mollah, and Sardar both were identified as members of the unruly mob who attacked the ED personnel.
Main accused Shahjahan Sheikh, who is a TMC leader, is still on the run.
The attackers not only caused grievous injuries to three ED officials, but they also seized personal things such as mobile phones and wallets, according to the investigation agency. The mob also attacked the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officers who were accompanying the ED team, according to reports.
The incident sparked a political firestorm in West Bengal, with Governor CV Ananda Bose criticizing the attack and referring to the Trinamool-ruled state as a “banana republic.”
The ED officers were conducting the raid as part of a probe into a ration distribution scam involving TMC politician Shahjahan Sheikh, a close aide of state minister Jyotipriyo Mallick, who was detained last year in connection with the same scam.
The opposition BJP has described the attack as a “direct assault on the federal structure,” and has asked for President’s Rule in West Bengal, alleging a threat to national security due to the alleged misrule of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool administration.
At a news conference in Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia sought Chief Minister Banerjee’s resignation over the event. In response, the TMC accused ED officers of instigating locals, which exacerbated political tensions. The Calcutta High Court on Thursday (11th January) awarded interim protection to the ED workers who were attacked by a crowd.
