ED Raid Bengal: ED officials attacked, forced to flee abandoning its raids by TMC activists
Kolkata/UNI/IBNS: In a shocking incident, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials were attacked, beaten up and forced to flee abandoning its raids by a section of activists from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas.
The TMC activists reportedly have allegiance to Shahjahan Sheikh, a block level leader of Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas on Friday.
The ED, probing the alleged statutory ration distribution scam following a Calcutta High Court order, went early on Friday to raid the house of Shahjahan Sheikh at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas.
The ED officials, after finding the collapsible gates of the TMC leader's house locked from inside, tried to break it open.
Seeing the ED officials, who were escorted by the Central armed forces, were trying to break open the locks, the TMC activists immediately attacked the central investigation officials, who finally abandoned the raid for their safety.
The ED officials said they were safe and abandoned the raid for fear of being attacked.
The probe agency has been raiding the premises of two block-level leaders and their relatives since Friday morning, they said.
The ED had gone to Sandeshkhali in search of two premises of two block-level leaders Shahjahan Sheikh and Shankar Adhya, and their relatives.
The agency alleged their vehicles were damaged in the attacks.
The TMC activists did not spare the media persons, who went there to cover the raids.
Sources said cameras and mobile phones of the media persons were damaged in the attack.
Shahjahan is attached with the district fishery and animal husbandry executive, said to be a close associate of arrested Forest Minister
Jyotipriya Mallick, a former food minister.
A senior ED officer in Kolkata told IBNS, "We have sent a report regarding the Sandeshkhali incident, to our headquarters in Delhi, waiting for their order on next step."
"Three of our officials have been injured. Two among them have head injuries. Assistant Director Rajkumar Ram, and two Enforcement Officials - Ankur and Somnath Dutta- have also been injured."
A CRPF official in West Bengal told IBNS: "Two of our vehicles carrying CRPF personnel were vandalized by mob in Sandeshkhali. We have reported this to our headquarters and Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi. Our armed personnel showed extreme patience during the incident. They did not restore to counter attack. We are preparing to lodge complaint at local Police Station.
"We have deployed more personnel to the scene. Our force along with senior officials are waiting 20km away from the area where the attack took place. We are waiting for next order from our headquarters."
MoS, Home, Nisith Pramanik said, "This is not an attack on a central agency, it is an attack on federal structure. The central govt is looking into this matter with utmost seriousness."
Reacting to the incident, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "What happened in Sandeshkhali today is a reaction of provocation by central agencies. Central agencies are playfully doing this to malign TMC government's image in Bengal."
West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose has asked state Chief Secretary, Home Secretary & DGP to come to Raj Bhaban at the earliest with reports on Sandeshkhali incident.
"The job of journalists is to gather news. It is their constitutional right. No one has the right to launch an attack on them to prevent that work. Press Club Kolkata is determined to continue the fight to protect the rights of journalists," it said."The media was attacked on Friday morning while collecting news of the central agency's search at the house of a local political leader in Sarberia of North 24 Parganas. A group of miscreants attacked to obstruct their work. Journalists were beaten on the street," the Press Club said in a statement, condemning the attack.
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