On 10th December, Bholanath Ghosh, a key witness in the case against TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan from West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali, was severely injured in a road ‘accident’. His younger son and the driver died in the accident. Ghosh was on his way to testify against Shahjahan in the court. The injured witness’s family have alleged that it was not an accident but a “conspiracy” to kill Ghosh. His car was hit by a ten-wheeler truck and its driver fled the scene following the accident. Police said they were looking for the driver.
Biswajit Ghosh, the elder brother of Bholanath Ghosh has alleged that it was not an accident but a conspiracy orchestrated at Sheikh Shahjahan’s behest to kill the witness. Biswajit added that Shahjahan earlier attempted to have his father killed. “They had threatened to kill my father earlier. This is not an accident, 100% murder. Shahjahan’s order was carried out by Sabita Roy and Muslim Sheikh,” Biswajit said.
Amidst the accusations levelled by the victim’s family and social media chatter about the timing of Ghosh’s ‘accident’, the police said, “We are not sure if it was an accident. We are probing every angle. We are putting more emphasis on why the collision occurred where there is no CCTV coverage and how the driver fled the spot.”
Notably, Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested by the CBI in 2024 in connection with the attack on an ED team that went to question in January last year. Sheikh Shahjahan, a close aide of CM Mamata Banerjee, was accused of land grabbing and sexual exploitation by several women in Sandeshkhali. He was arrested by the state police on February 29, 2024, and the CBI took him into its custody on 6th March.
Shahjahan’s arrest followed after hundreds of women in Sandeshkhali of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal held massive protests in February last year, demanding action against him and two other TMC workers, Shiba Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar.
The women came out on the streets with brooms, sticks and farming tools and blocked the roads. These women alleged that married Hindu women from the area are picked up, based on how young and pretty they are, and are violated night after night by Shahjahan’s men. The husbands of these women were also threatened and told that they had no “right” over their wives. If they attempt to stop the exploitation of the women, they are mercilessly beaten. Despite CM Banerjee downplaying the plight of the women, Sheikh Shahjahan and other accused persons were arrested following a high-voltage drama.
