Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Jul 6: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has formally taken charge of the probe into the 2019 killings of three BJP workers in Sandeshkhali, North 24 Parganas district, following an order by the Calcutta High Court.
The move comes after Justice Jay Sengupta, of a single-judge bench, directed on June 30 that the central agency launch an investigation into the politically charged murders of Pradip Mondal, Debdas Mondal, and Sukanta Mondal, who were killed in June 2019. The court has instructed the CBI to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the case.
A key figure now back in focus is Sheikh Shahjahan, a suspended leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), who was originally named in the early stages of the investigation. Shahjahan is already under CBI investigation in multiple high-profile cases, including:
• Assault on Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) officials during a raid near his residence in January 2024,
• Sexual harassment allegations by several women in Sandeshkhali,
• Illegal land grabbing, and
• His alleged role in the multi-crore ration distribution scam in West Bengal.
Shahjahan is currently lodged in judicial custody.
Notably, Shahjahan’s name was present in the initial charge sheet prepared by the North 24 Parganas district police in the 2019 murder case. However, when the West Bengal CID later took over the probe, his name was conspicuously dropped from the document—triggering accusations of political shielding.
This prompted a petition to the Calcutta High Court, where the petitioners accused the state police of deliberately protecting Shahjahan and demanded a central agency probe.
Responding to these concerns, the High Court finally transferred the investigation to the CBI on June 30.
With the CBI now at the helm of this sensitive case and Shahjahan already under investigation in multiple others, the political stakes in West Bengal continue to rise. The spotlight is firmly on whether the renewed probe will finally bring long-delayed justice to the families of the three murdered BJP workers.