Ration scam: ED officers assaulted by TMC leader's loyalists during raid in West Bengal
Kolkata, Jan 5: ED officers were on Friday assaulted and their vehicles were damaged allegedly by supporters of TMC leader Sheikh Sajahan when they tried to raid his residence in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district in connection with their probe into the ration distribution scam.
The ED officers are conducting raids at 15 places in the state during the day and Sajahan's house is one of them, an officer said.
A large number of TMC loyalists first gheraoed the ED officials and the central forces personnel who accompanied them when they reached Sheikh's residence in Sandeshkhali area in the morning and demonstrated before assaulting them and forcing them to leave the area, the officer said.
One of the officers suffered head injuries and had to be taken to a hospital, he said.
Sajahan is considered to be a close aide of state minister Jyotipriyo Mallick who was arrested in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution scam.
"This kind of attack is unprecedented. We have sent a report on Shiekh Sajahan to our Delhi office," the ED officer told PTI.
Sajahan's supporters attacked the officials and the central forces personnel when they tried to break the lock of the gate of his residence which was not opened by the TMC leader despite several calls made by them, he said.
Senior police officers including the SP of North 24 Parganas district did not communicate when the ED officers tried to contact them, he alleged.
The ED officers are conducting raids at 15 places in West Bengal in connection with the scam.
#WATCH | Members of #ED team who received injuries during an attack on their vehicle in #WestBengal's Sandeshkhali today, have been shifted to a local hospital in #Kolkata
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) January 5, 2024
đš ANI pic.twitter.com/KAnNGsgJWW
Horrific. The Law & Order Situation in West Bengal is in shambles.
— Suvendu Adhikari • āĻļā§āĻā§āĻ¨ā§āĻĻā§ āĻ āĻ§āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ°ā§ (@SuvenduWB) January 5, 2024
ED Officials & CRPF Jawans brutally attacked in Sandeshkhali; North 24 Parganas district, while conducting Raid at TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan's house.
I doubt that Rohingyas are present amongst the Anti National… pic.twitter.com/XHboQsBVSX
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
