First the ED team was attacked in Bengal, now FIR has been lodged against the officers themselves

West Bengal Police on Saturday registered three FIRs in connection with the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Sandeshkhali area of North 24 Parganas district. An FIR has also been registered against the investigating agency officials accusing them of criminal encroachment and insulting the dignity of a woman. Officials said two other FIRs have been lodged against unidentified persons. Let us tell you that on Friday, the investigating agency officials who had gone to conduct the raid were attacked by the mob. The team had gone to search the house of TMC Zilla Parishad member Shahjahan Shaikh in connection with the ration distribution scam.

According to police sources, an FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by the caretaker of Shaikh’s house. The second was registered on the basis of the ED complaint filed on Friday and the third on suo motu cognizance.

The complaint alleges that ED officials attempted to forcibly enter the TMC leader’s residence without showing any search warrant and in violation of the law, a source said.

The FIR against the ED officials has been registered under sections 441 (criminal trespass), 379 (intent to commit theft) and 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The other two FIRs were registered under IPC sections 147, 148, 149 (rioting) and 353 (assault on public servants), officials said.

Subhashish Pramanik, officer-in-charge of Nayazat police station, said, “This is a very sensitive matter. I cannot say anything about the FIR. Anyway, at the moment I am outside the police station.” ‘At the same time, sources said that although the police has not arrested anyone till Friday in connection with the attack, three people have been detained and they are being interrogated.

Meanwhile, two ED officials Ankur Gupta and Somnath Dutta, who were injured in Friday’s alleged attack, were discharged from a Kolkata hospital. The third officer, Rajkumar Ram, suffered head injuries and was admitted to the High Dependency Unit (HDU). His condition is stable.

In a statement on Friday, the ED had said that a team of its officers reached Sheikh’s house in Sandeshkhali in the morning. The house was locked and no one answered the call. The ED alleged that Shaikh’s mobile location indicated that he was inside the house at that time.

The ED team was waiting. Meanwhile, a large crowd gathered there and pushed the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel accompanying the team. The mob vandalized officers’ vehicles and blocked roads. The ED alleged that three of its officers were injured and their personal belongings and official belongings like mobile phones, laptops and wallets were snatched.

ED issues lookout notice for Shaikh ED on Saturday issued a lookout notice for TMC Zilla Parishad member and party convenor Shahjahan Shaikh and his four brothers. Sources said the ED has alerted the Intelligence Bureau and the Border Security Force. ED suspects that Sheikh and his family may try to infiltrate into neighboring Bangladesh.