Sandeshkhali, Bongaon incidents: HC allows PIL to be filed

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday allowed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to be filed in the Sandeshkhali and Bongaon incident. The matter will be taken up on Thursday.

The matter was raised by BJP and heard by the Division Bench of Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam. The lawyer representing the petitioner stated that there was a “brutal attack” on ED officials at Sandeshkhali and Bongaon. The Bench agreed on the matter to be filed on Monday and asked the petitioner to serve notices.

On January 5, a team of ED officials visited local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sahajahan Sheikh’s house at Sarberia in Sandeshkhali to conduct a raid in connection with the alleged ration scam. Half an hour after reaching his house, ED claimed that hundreds of people came charging towards the team which resulted in three ED officers being injured and hospitalised.

On the same day, ED had conducted raids at 11 other places, including the house of former Bongaon Municipality chairman Shankar Adhya. He was arrested in the wee hours of January 6 morning. His supporters allegedly tried to block the investigators from taking him with them by reportedly hurling stones at their vehicles.