Kolkata, Sep 22 (IANS) Despite the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan, the now-suspended Trinamool Congress leader once regarded as the “uncrowned king” of Sandeshkhali — a cluster of islands in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal — complaints of illegal land grabbing have begun surfacing again from the area.

This illegal land grabbing was rampant at Sandeshkhali, with Shahjahan being the final word there before he was arrested last year for masterminding the assault on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel during a raid at his residence as part of the multi-crore PDS scam in West Bengal.

In due course, the other charges framed against Shahjahan and his gang were forceful land grabbing, illegal conversion of farmland into pisciculture farms by flowing in salt water, and, most importantly, sexual exploitation of the local women.

After his arrest last year, reports of illegal land grabbing at Sandeshkhali had largely stopped. However, sources aware of the development said that, from this month, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths have started a fresh investigation following fresh complaints of land grabbing at Sandeshkhali by two of Shahjahan’s associates — Kamal Sardar and Prafulla Nashkar.

Incidentally, the fresh complaint of illegal grabbing of 10 bighas or 6.25 acres of land has been lodged by the son and daughter of late Jadab Chandra Sarkar, a former cop attached to the West Bengal Police.

Sarkar’s children, who now stay in Basirhat, have complained that, taking advantage of their absence at Sandeshkhali, the members of a local Sardar family, reportedly close to the local Trinamool Congress family, have illegally taken possession of their land.

On the basis of their complaint, the CBI sleuths have started a fresh investigation into the matter, and sources said that prima facie, it had been found that there are merits in the case.

CBI sleuths have got some clues of the involvement of Shahjahan’s two associates — Kamal Sardar and Prafulla Nashkar.

–IANS

src/skp