Police have arrested two men, including a Trinamool Congress zilla parishad member, for their alleged role in a conspiracy to eliminate Bholanath Ghosh, a crucial witness in multiple CBI cases against Sandeshkhali strongman Sheikh Shahjahan. The alleged plot, police say, culminated in a staged road accident on the Basanti highway that claimed two lives.
The accused, Uttam Sardar, a zilla parishad member, and Ruhul Kuddus Sheikh, were produced before the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court in Basirhat, which remanded them to nine days of police custody. Their names surfaced during the course of investigation by the Nazat police, even though neither figured in the original FIR filed by Ghosh.
Ghosh had named eight individuals in his complaint, but none of them have been arrested so far. Meanwhile, the prime accused in the crash, the truck driver, Alim Molla, who allegedly rammed into Ghosh’s car, remains on the run.
Sardar was arrested from Hatishala under Polerhat police station, while Ruhul Kuddus Sheikh was picked up from Sarberia in Sandeshkhali late on Friday night.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning when an empty cargo truck abruptly veered across lanes on the Basanti highway and crashed head-on into a Maruti Alto carrying Ghosh, his son Satyajit, and two associates. They were travelling to Basirhat to attend a hearing before the additional district and sessions judge (court no. 2). Satyajit and the driver, Shahanur Molla, died on the spot, while Ghosh sustained injuries.
Basirhat police superintendent Hossain Mehedi Rehman refused to reveal specific details about the alleged roles of the two accused, citing the ongoing probe. “They were not named in the FIR, but our investigation has established their involvement in the incident. At this stage, we cannot disclose further details,” he told The Telegraph.
Assistant public prosecutor Arun Kumar Pal said the duo had been arrested under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for criminal conspiracy. “The investigating team has collected sufficient material indicating their involvement, even though their names did not appear in the FIR initially,” he said.
The court, however, allowed a plea by the accused, permitting their lawyers to be present during interrogation. Defence counsel Raja Bhowmik alleged that the arrests were based on “mere suspicion” and claimed that the accused had been subjected to physical torture in custody.
Police sources countered these claims, stating that Ruhul Kuddus Sheikh had been assigned to monitor Ghosh’s daily movements. According to investigators, Ruhul was present on the road on the day of the incident and allegedly followed Ghosh’s vehicle until the fatal crash occurred.
Investigators further alleged that Uttam Sardar, described as a political rival of Ghosh, had passed on crucial information regarding the scheduled court hearing in the Sheikh Shahjahan case, which prompted Ghosh’s journey to Basirhat on the day of the attack.
Notably, Sardar is a known close aide of Sheikh Shahjahan. He was arrested in February last year following massive protests by local women over alleged atrocities, and subsequently suspended by the Trinamool Congress leadership for six years on February 10 on charges of “ill behaviour.”
