Sandeshkhali: Shahjahan Sheikh charged with attempt to murder by CBI

Suspended TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh his brother and five others have been charged with criminal conspiracy and attempt to murder by the CBI in connection with a mob attack on an Enforcement Directorate team in Sandeshkhali on January 5 reported PTI citiing officials on TuesdayThe agencys first charge sheet in the case was filed on Monday before a Basirhat special court they saidThe ED team was attacked by a 1000strong mob when it went to raid Sheikhs house in connection with the multicrore ration distribution scam in West Bengal It had also gone to arrest Sheikh because of his alleged close links with arrested former state food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick under the scanner in the scam they saidThe charge sheet is against seven people including Sheikh his brother Alomgir and associates Jiauddin Mollah Mafujar Mollah and Didarbaksh Mollah they saidThe CBI has invoked Indian Penal Code Sections 120B criminal conspiracy and 307 attempt to murder on the accused besides rioting and unlawful assembly among a number of other charges reported PTISandeshkhali a riverine island around 80 km from Kolkata has been in the news after local women alleged landgrabbing and sexual abuse by Sheikh and his men who are involved in fish farming and tradingThe Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over investigation in three cases related to incidents on January 5Investigation revealed that Shahjahan Sheikh was the key conspirator behind the incident in which ED officials were attacked when they went to conduct a search at his residential and official premises in a case on allegations of money laundering related to proceeds of crime generated from irregularities in procurement and distribution of ration through PDS scheme a CBI spokesperson saidSheikh was arrested by the state police on February 29 and the CBI took him under its custody on March 6Two FIRrsquos against Sheikh ShahjahanThe CBI which is probing the attack on ED and CAPF personnel in West Bengal has now included ldquoattempt to murderrdquo charges under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code into two FIRs against Sheikh Shahjahan The suspended Trinamool Congress leader is the accused mastermind in the January 5 attack at SandeshkhaliThe CBI has filed a total of three FIRs in the two cases of attacks on ED and CAPF officials on January 5 and submitted the FIRs at the Basirhat SubDivisional Court in North 24 Parganas District Out of the three FIRs two are against Sheikh Shahjahan in connection with the attack in front of his residence at Sandeshkhali Sources said the charges of attempt to murder have been included to those two FIRsThe third FIR is against another Trinamool Congress leader from Bongaon also in North 24 Parganas District Shankar Adhya who is already in judicial custody in connection with the multicrore PDS case Shahjahan was presented at Basirhat Subdivisional Court on Saturday