Kolkata (West Bengal): TMC leader Shibu Prasad Hazra, one of the primary suspects in the Sandeshkhali case, was taken into custody on Saturday from the Najat neighborhood of Basirhat, West Bengal. He will be produced before a local court on Sunday.
With Hazra's arrest, two of the three primary accused have now been nabbed. In this case, 18 people have been taken into custody so far, police said. In the meantime, a survivor recorded her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a magistrate, and the police added IPC sections 376D (gangrape) and 307 (attempt to murder) to the case, according to a source.
Hazra, a block president had been missing since women in Sandeshkhali alleged cases of sexual harassment and gang-rape against him and one other party member. The main accused, Shajahan Sheikh, remains absconding.
"We have arrested Shiba prasad Hazra from Sandeshkhali this evening. He will be produced before the court tomorrow," an officer of Nazat Police Station told the media. Earlier, police have also arrested Uttam Sardar but Shajahan Sheikh remains absconding. Meanwhile, West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said Section 144 imposed in the area will be lifted in a day or two.
The DGP also notified that the woman had not made any such complaint when police had gone to the area to record her statement and allegations. "She did not give any statement before us. She gave it before the magistrate. I am not saying whether it is true or false. How can we ignore the statement she has made? Primarily, when a complainant comes to us and tells us something we assume it to be true. The case has been registered under relevant sections and necessary action will be taken," he added.
Meanwhile, BJP's National Information & Technology Dept Co-incharge West Bengal, Amit Malviya took to Twitter and launched a scathing attack on CM Mamata Banerjee, asking why the CM is pushing DGP of West Bengal to respond on Sandeshkhali? He wrote: "Is West Bengal a police state or is she not in control anymore?"
Tensions have been brewing in Sandeshkhali since January, when the locals staged protests calling for the arrest of Sheikh and his aides. They were accused of committing cases of sexual harassment, forcibly acquiring land, and flooding fields with saltwater to make them unusable. Sheikh vanished during a raid by the the ED looking into allegations of separate corruption.
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