Even with Sheikh Shahjahan behind bars, complaints of land grabbing resurface in Sandeshkhali
Even after the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan, the once-powerful Trinamool Congress leader known as the “uncrowned king” of Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, fresh complaints of illegal land grabbing are popping up again in the area.
Shahjahan, now suspended from the party, faced charges last year for orchestrating an attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) during a raid at his home. That probe tied into a massive multi-crore Public Distribution System (PDS) scam in West Bengal. Over the years, his name also surfaced in reports of forceful land grabs, turning fertile farmland into salty pisciculture ponds, and even sexual exploitation of local women in Sandeshkhali.
Things quieted down on the land grabbing front after his arrest, but that’s changing. Sources close to the matter say Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) teams kicked off a new probe this month after locals filed complaints against two of Shahjahan’s associates: Kamal Sardar and Prafulla Nashkar.
The latest case involves 10 bighas—about 6.25 acres—of land owned by the late Jadab Chandra Sarkar, a former West Bengal police officer. His son and daughter, who live in nearby Basirhat, say members of a local Sardar family—allegedly linked to the area’s Trinamool Congress network—seized the property while they were away from Sandeshkhali.
CBI investigators have dug into the complaint and found solid grounds to pursue it. Early clues point to involvement from Kamal Sardar and Prafulla Nashkar, keeping the spotlight on Sandeshkhali’s ongoing troubles with illegal land grabbing and political ties in West Bengal.
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