'Not Banana Republic': Bengal Guv Responds After TMC Leader Shahjahan's Backers Attack ED During Raid

The Enforcement Directorate and the Central Security Forces team were attacked in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, where they had gone to raid the house of Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh in the ration scam case.

Amid the attack, several media vehicles at the location were also vandalised. News18 Bangla’s correspondent was also assaulted, their car was vandalised and the camera was broken.

As Sheikh’s supporters attacked the officials, the raid on the TMC leader could not be conducted.

BENGAL ISN’T BANANA REPUBLIC

West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose said Bengal isn’t a ‘banana republic’ and called on the government to stop ‘barbarism and vandalism’ in the state. He warned the Banerjee government that Constitution will take its course, if the government fails to perform its basic duties.

“The ghastly incident in Sandeshkhali is alarming and deplorable. It’s the duty of a civilised government to stop barbarism and vandalism in a democracy, he said in an audio statement. Stating that Bengal is not a banana republic, he said “Jungle Raj and gunda raj will work in a fool’s paradise.” The government should better open its eyes and see the reality and act effectively or face the consequences, the governor said.

BJP came down heavily on the Trinamool Congress over the incident and said the continuance of the party’s government under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a threat to national security.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari took to the microblogging site X and said that the law and order situation in West Bengal is in “shambles”. In his post, he urged the Union Home Minister and other concerned authorities to take “cognisance of this grave situation and take appropriate actions to crush this anarchy”.

Last year, the anti-corruption agency had arrested TMC leader Jyotipriyo Mallick in connection with the alleged case of corruption in rationing distribution.

Following this, the ED also interrogated Mallick’s associates in this regard. His formal personal assistant Amit De and his close aide Abhijit Das were interrogated, officials said.

Das was questioned about a diary that was seized from his residence in Howrah during searches, they added.

“The diary has details of some transactions. It also contains names of different bogus companies used to re-route funds,” an officer said. The diary had “Balu” scribbled on its cover, as well as some of the pages inside it, he added.

Mallick is more popularly known as ‘Balu’, his nickname, in the state’s political circles.

WHAT IS THE RATION SCAM CASE?

During Covid-19 time, allegations were made that there has been huge corruption in the distribution of rations in the state.

An FIR was initiated by the federal agency in 2022 in connection with the case and then on October 14, 2023, one businessman Bakibur Raheman was arrested. He was a close aide of the minister.

Sources in ED had said that this Raheman owns crores of property.