Officials of multiple central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate, Border Security Force and the CRPF held a “coordination meeting” on Tuesday while Bengal police sent summons to ED and CRPF officers seeking their presence to record their statements in connection with the violence in Sandeshkhali last Friday.
The meeting took place three days after a team of ED officers who went to raid the house of Trinamul Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh in Sandeshkhali, in North 24-Parganas, were beaten up by a mob. Three officers of the agency had to be treated in hospital.
The Union home ministry sought a detailed report from the state government on Tuesday on the Sandeshkhali incident, said sources in the state home department.
An ED officer said its director Rahul Navin, who reached Calcutta late on Monday, held a meeting with the investigating officers of all the ongoing cases in Bengal. “He asked his officers to carry on with the investigations without any doubt or fear,” the officer said.
Sources said the ED director was briefed in detail about incident in Sandeshkhali.
Bengal police have started a case of house trespass, criminal intimidation and mischief against the ED officers who went to raid Shahjahan Sheikh’s house, based on a complaint lodged by his family.
Sources in the police said they had sent multiple summons to the ED officers and the commandants of the CRPF so they appear before the police to record their statements. CRPF personnel had accompanied the ED team that went to Sandeshkhali last Friday.
A senior ED officer who was asked by the Bengal police to appear at Nazat police station in North 24-Parganas on Tuesday did not make the appearance, citing the unscheduled visit of the ED director and the consequent meeting on Tuesday.
An officer privy to the developments in the meeting between the senior officers of the central agencies said detailed discussions were held on the standard operating procedures while conducting raids and if there was a need to enhance the security cover for the raiding team.
“There was a detailed debriefing at the meeting on the Sandeshkhali incident and what went wrong that day,” said an officer.
Sources said the ED had sought the assistance of other central agencies such as the BSF in the collection of information and capture of Shahjahan Sheikh, who, according to the central agency, had instigated the mob that attacked the raiding team.
Shahjahan Sheikh, who is being probed by the ED for his alleged link to corruption in ration distribution, is being wanted for attack on government officials and theft after Friday’s incident. He remained “untraced” till Tuesday evening, officers said.
On Tuesday evening, the ED director called on governor C.V. Ananda Bose at Raj Bhavan and the two held a meeting for around 40 minutes.
