The Calcutta Excessive Court docket on Thursday directed the West Bengal authorities to cooperate with the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is trying into allegations of land grabbing and sexual harassment in opposition to suspended Trinamool Congress chief Shahjahan Sheikh within the Sandeshkhali village, Bar and Bench reported.
A bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya additionally permitted the Nationwide Human Rights Fee to be added as a celebration to the case, PTI reported.
On January 5, Enforcement Directorate officers have been allegedly attacked at Sandeshkhali within the state’s North 24 Parganas district once they have been finishing up raids at Sheikh’s home in reference to an alleged ration distribution rip-off.
A mob allegedly attacked the Enforcement Directorate officers with stones, bricks and batons.
Following this, a number of native ladies accused Sheikh and his associates, Shiba Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar, of torturing and sexually harassing them for a number of years, and likewise of grabbing their lands for prawn cultivation.
Sheikh was arrested by the police on February 29, Hazra on February 17 and Sardar on February 11.
Subsequently, the Excessive Court docket had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to take up the matter after listening to public curiosity litigations in search of an unbiased probe into the allegations.
On Thursday, the bench famous the central company’s submission that the state authorities had not been cooperating with its verification of over 900 complaints in reference to the allegations of land grabbing.
In response, the bench stated: “Let the State of West Bengal lengthen the fullest cooperation to the CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] within the probe”
Bharatiya Janata Get together chief and advocate Priyanka Tibrewal, one of many petitioners within the case, additionally instructed the Excessive Court docket that she had obtained cellphone calls from among the ladies who had been sexually assaulted, Bar and Bench reported.
The ladies claimed that they have been threatened to not file instances in opposition to Sheikh and his associates, Tibrewal stated.
“Some strangers have walked into their properties in night time, telling them that they’ve already misplaced their honour and now in the event that they file rape case they’ll lose their lives,” Tibrewal instructed the bench. “Due to this fact, ladies are scared to lodge a grievance even with the CBI.”
The bench urged the central company to evolve a mechanism to “construct confidence” among the many victims for them to have the ability to lodge complaints.
The matter has been listed for additional listening to on June 14.