Prime witness in Sandeshkhali violence cases injured, son, driver killed in road accident
Barasat (PTI): Bholanath Ghosh, one of the prime witnesses in the attack on ED officials in Sandeshkhali and connected CBI cases which implicated now-jailed TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan, was injured when a truck collided with his car in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday, a senior officer said.
Ghosh's younger son, Satyajit (32), and the driver of his car, Sahanur Molla (27), were killed in the accident that took place on the Basanti Highway near the Boyramari petrol pump under the Nazat Police Station limits in Basirhat, he said.
The 16-wheel truck dragged the private vehicle and dumped it into a water body adjacent to the road, the officer said.
While the truck was found on the side of the highway, precariously dangling over the water body, the erring driver fled the spot.
Basirhat Superintendent of Police Hossain Mehedi Rahaman confirmed that injured Ghosh was first taken to a local hospital and later shifted to a private health facility in Kolkata.
Ghosh was subsequently released from the hospital after he was administered primary treatment.
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“I was sitting next to the driver, and my son was seated behind him. The truck came and hit our car at full speed on its right side. I cannot say anything more except this wasn’t an accident. I will know more once I return home and speak to the police,” the survivor told reporters.
The bodies of the deceased were sent to the SSKM Hospital in Kolkata for post-mortem examinations, he added.
Ghosh, accompanied by his son, had left his Sandeshkhali residence and was headed for the Basirhat sub-divisional court to appear in connection with one of the many cases that Shahjahan had filed against him. The accident took place around 8.45 am on a stretch of the road which had no CCTV cover.
“We were on our way to the court to appear in a false case of rape, which Shahjahan had filed against us. I think we were being followed from the moment we left our home,” he said.
Local eyewitnesses claimed that the truck, moving in the opposite direction of the car, jumped lane and rammed into the private vehicle at breakneck speed, crushed it and dragged it along until it fell into the adjacent water body.
Ghosh's elder son, Biswajit, claimed that this was a planned attempt to murder his father, and alleged that Shahjahan pulled strings sitting in jail to carry out the crime.
“Our family has been subjected to sustained threats and harassment by Shahjahan and his followers ever since my father began cooperating with the CBI. Two of Shahjahan’s close aides, Trinamool Nazat panchayat samiti chief Sabita Roy and her deputy, Moslem Sheikh, orchestrated this attack upon instructions of their boss,” Biswajit alleged.
Both Roy and Sheikh denied the charges, calling them “baseless”.
“This accident is most unfortunate. I have known the family for long and have remained in touch with them ever since I came to know of it. I welcome a fair probe into the accident and let the truth be revealed,” Roy said.
“The allegation is ridiculous. I know this family very well and we work for the same party. It seems a political conspiracy is being hatched against me by provoking them to make such wild accusations. I am 66 years old and I have never practised violence in politics,” Moslem maintained.
Till reports last received, official police complaints by the victims' family members were yet to be lodged.
Shahjahan was arrested by the West Bengal Police on February 29, 2024 after remaining a fugitive for 55 days following the attack on Enforcement Directorate officials by his supporters when the agency reached his doorstep on January 5 to question the TMC leader regarding the under-probe multi-crore ration scam.
Large-scale allegations of forceful land acquisition and sexual assault on local women against Shahjahan and his followers in Sandeshkhali soon began to surface, leading to a major political dust-up ahead of the general elections that year.
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BJP govt in Bengal will speed up CAA implementation, infiltrators must leave: Modi
Katwa (WB) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday promised to accelerate the provision of citizenship under CAA for Matua, Namasudra and other refugee communities if the BJP came to power in West Bengal, while warning "infiltrators" to "pack up their bags".
Addressing a rally at Katwa in Purba Bardhaman district, Modi sought to reassure the Matua and Namasudra communities -- a politically influential refugee bloc concentrated in south Bengal -- that their future was protected not by the ruling Trinamool Congress but by the Constitution and the CAA.
The prime minister said a BJP government in Bengal would not only follow the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,' but would also add 'Sabka Hisaab,' which means every "looter and oppressor" will be held fully accountable.
"I have come to give a guarantee to the Matua, Namasudra and all refugee families of Bengal. You are not here by the grace of any TMC leader. You are here under the protection of the Constitution," Modi said.
"Modi enacted the CAA law so that Matua, Namasudra and all refugee families receive the guarantee of the Constitution (citizenship). As soon as a BJP government is formed here, the work of granting citizenship to refugee families under CAA will be expedited," he said.
The pitch comes a day after the Bengal BJP, in its manifesto, promised "citizenship and rehabilitation for all Hindu refugees" -- a message aimed squarely at Matua and Namasudra voters, many of whom have complained of large-scale deletions from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
But the prime minister paired the citizenship promise with an even sharper attack on alleged illegal immigration.
"The BJP government will free Bengal from yet another major challenge. Whoever has infiltrated India will be driven out," Modi said.
"I will tell every infiltrator to pack up their belongings. It is time to leave," he said, triggering loud cheers from the crowd.
He warned that not only infiltrators, but also those who had "facilitated" them would face action.
In a state where refugee identity and citizenship have remained politically combustible for decades, Modi attempted to turn the issue into a referendum on trust, accusing the TMC of spreading fear among refugee families while failing to protect their interests.
Congratulating the Bengal BJP for its manifesto released a day earlier, Modi said it contained the roadmap to implement the party's six guarantees.
"The BJP has resolved to take Bengal to new heights of development. Modi's guarantee is to transform the fear of TMC's ruthless government into trust, and the entire blueprint for that change is in the BJP manifesto," he said.
Seeking to project confidence, Modi claimed the huge turnout at the rally showed that Bengal was ready for political change.
"This scene is the trailer for the results of May 4. I am witnessing your fervour, your enthusiasm, your energy and your resolve. This is the proclamation of trust triumphing over fear. Bengal is ready for change," the PM added.
Modi also cited the BJP's performance among women voters elsewhere to argue that the party was steadily moving towards victory in Bengal.
"Wherever there is heavy voting and strong participation by women, BJP-NDA has received a massive mandate. In Bengal too, BJP is steadily moving towards victory," he said.
"The 15-year rule of TMC has given nothing but fear to every citizen, every family of Bengal. This election is to eradicate the TMC's fear," he said.
Seeking to match and outbid the TMC's welfare plank, Modi repeatedly referred to what he called the BJP's "three guarantees" for women, youth and government employees.
For women, the BJP has promised a monthly allowance of Rs 3,000.
"Bengal's sisters and daughters will be able to come and go anytime, anywhere. BJP government means complete assurance of women's safety," Modi said.
For unemployed youth, Modi promised age relaxation in government recruitment for those who had crossed the age limit because of what he described as the TMC's "misgovernance".
He also promised implementation of the 7th Pay Commission for state government employees.
The PM sought to sharpen the corruption issue as well, promising a "white paper" on what he called corruption involving TMC ministers, MLAs and syndicates.
"The BJP government will bring a white paper and give a legal account of the corruption of TMC's MLAs, ministers and syndicates," he said.
"BJP will not stop any scheme. BJP will only shut down the shop of corruption and stop TMC's loot," Modi said, accusing the ruling party of falsely claiming that welfare schemes would be discontinued if the BJP came to power.
Modi also used the rally to attack the TMC over the crisis facing potato farmers.
"TMC's deceit has ruined potato farmers. They promised to buy potatoes at MSP, but farmers' crop are rotting," he said.
Modi said Bengal's farmers would receive Rs 9,000 annually under the PM-Kisan scheme -- Rs 6,000 from the Centre and an additional Rs 3,000 from a BJP government in Bengal.
The welfare-heavy pitch was capped with a promise to roll out Ayushman Bharat in Bengal immediately after the BJP forms the government.
"On the day a BJP chief minister takes oath, the very first cabinet meeting will implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana. This is Modi's guarantee," he said.
