"Sheikh Shahjhan suspended from party for six years": TMC's Derek O'Brien
Kolkata: In a big announcement after his arrest, Trinamool Congress on Thursday suspended Sheikh Shahjahan from the party for six years.
TMC leader Derek O'Brien held a press conference here today and said that by the time West Bengal Police was given freedom, it took two days to arrest the culprit.
"All India Trinamool Congress has decided to suspend Sheikh Shahjahan from the party for six years. There are two types of political parties, one is who only talks but TMC walks the talk. This is not the first time we are doing this; we have done it in past too. Mr Modi we dare you to suspend Narayan Rane, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Suvendhu Adhikari. But you will not do as you are not from TMC," he said.
Derek further added that BJP people are not drinking water in their headquarters in Delhi because "they want to keep this issue alive till Mr Modi arrives here but that could not be possible".
"If you had said that we have legal obstructions to arrest the culprit then why didn't ED arrest him? People in Northern India don't know so we have to clarify who has arrested the culprit. The Central agencies or the West Bengal police. The police don't have the power to arrest in ED PMLA case, only the ED can do so. The culprit has been arrested in cases registered to West Bengal Police," TMC MP said.
"The court gave freedom to the police, it took two days. Our challenge to Mr Modi is that I want to give two numbers 2219 and 2250. 2219 refers to the number of days Nirav Modi has been absconding and Mehul Choksi has been absconding for 2250 days. You have not brought these people to book in these days," he added.
Meanwhile, West Bengal's Basirhat Court remanded Trinamool Congress (TMC) Sheikh Shahjahan to 10-day police custody on Thursday.
Lawyer Raja Bhowmick, who represented Shahjahan in court, said, "14-day police custody (of Sheikh Shahjahan) was demanded, but the court allowed 10-day custody."
"On March 10, he will be produced in court again," he said.
Shahjahan was arrested by West Bengal police on Thursday morning in connection with an alleged assault on ED officers during a raid in January earlier this year.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose called Shahjahan's arrest an 'eye-opener', adding that it is only the 'beginning'.
"Today in Bengal, we see the beginning of an end. The arrest of the prime accused in the Sandeshkhali incidents is an eye-opener for everyone. This is only the beginning. We have to put an end to violence in Bengal," Ananda Bose said.
Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district had been witnessing widespread protests against TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh this month as a section of women were seeking justice against alleged atrocities committed by the TMC leader.
A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused Shajahan Sheikh and his close aides of "land-grab and sexual assault" under coercion.
