ED officials assaulted & stopped from conducting raids at TMC leader’s house in Bengal’s Sandeshkhali; Governor warns of stern action but TMC blames ‘provocation’

At least two senior Enforcement Directorate (ED) Officials have sustained grievous injuries after the central agency teams came under attack from an angry mob as they went to raid the house of TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh at Sandeshkhali in Bengal’s North 24 Paraganas district early on Friday morning. The raid was in connection with the alleged ration scam, the same matter in which Bengal state minister Jyotipriyo Mallick had been previously arrested in October last year.


Hundreds of locals blocked the way of ED officials, vandalised vehicles part of their convoy, and assaulted both officers and media personnel in the presence of central forces. Central forces were part of the security attachment of the ED teams. The irate mob chased them out of the village. Several vehicles belonging to the media were also vandalised, few journalists were injured and several cameras were reportedly broken.


Shahjahan’s house was one of the 15 houses being raided by the ED across the state on Friday. This is the first time when any central agency officials have come under such an attack during any raid in the state. Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose equating the incident with a banana republic, warned of exploring constitutional options. “Jungleraj and Gundagiri will work in a fool’s paradise. Bengal is not a banana republic. The government should do its duty. This pre-election violence which has an early beginning should find an early end. The responsibility lies with the government”, said Governor CV Ananda Bose.

Reacting to the incident, Bengal Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari took to X to call the incident “horrific”, expressing his doubts that “Rohingyas” were present in the mob of “Anti Nationals”. He also urged the Home Ministry and the Governor of Bengal to take cognizance of the matter, and demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into it. “Horrific. The Law & Order Situation in West Bengal is in shambles…,” Adhikari wrote on ‘X’

TMC while calling the incident unfortunate, has also blamed “provocation” on the part of central forces. “The Sandeshkhali incident is very unfortunate. However, there is a serious provocation on the part of central agencies and central forces. The agencies are provoking people by reaching different areas every day in the name of raids under the BJP’s instruction. They are trying to malign the image of the state”, said TMC leader Kunal Ghosh. TMC questioned why no raids have been conducted at the house of Suvendu Adhikari “who was caught taking money on camera, and is an accused named in a CBI FIR”.

A massive war of words ensued between TMC and BJP over the incident. BJP Union Minister Union Minister Nisith Pramanik called the attack on ED teams an “attack on the constitution and in violation of cooperative federalism”. TMC Minister Sashi Panja rebutted Pramanik and questioned if stalling of funds meant for the rural poor of Bengal augers as a cooperation of the Centre with Bengal.

According to reports, several damaged vehicles were left in the area and officials fled the scene on two-wheelers and autorickshaws. An injured driver, assigned to one of the vehicles being used by the ED said on condition of anonymity, “They broke the windows of the car. I was injured and ran with the car. I sped away for almost two kms before my car was intercepted and there was more chaos. I got off and ran. I found a medical clinic, that gave me some first aid. They helped me get some transport to get out of that place. I am hurt.”

Media persons were also assaulted and their vehicles vandalised by the mob. A senior police officer of Basirhat police station told the media that a few journalists had been taken to the hospital. He added that an official complaint has not yet been filed by the ED.

Local witnesses claim the house of Sheikh was locked when ED teams arrived. After receiving no response from anyone from inside the house, even after repeated attempts, ED officials wanted to break the lock of the house. It was then that several local people reached the spot and resisted the ED officials. “Sheikh is close to minister Jyoti Priya Mallick and the investigation links him with the scam”, claimed an ED official. Sheikh has multiple businesses, including a brick kiln.​