West Bengal: ED officials attacked during raids at TMC leader’s house; BJP says ‘democracy failing again..’

A team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was attacked during a raid of a TMC leader's house in connection with an alleged ration scam. The attack took place when the agency officials were raiding the premises of two block-level leaders Shahjahan Sheikh, and Shankar Adhya, and their family members since Friday morning in North 24 Parganas, according to officials.

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"Eight people came to the spot. We three moved from the incident spot. When we came, they attacked us," a member of the ED team told ANI.

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Till now, state food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick has been arrested in connection with the alleged scam, reported Hindustan Times. Hundreds of men and women gathered on the spot shouting slogans, when the NIA team tried to enter the house of Shahjahan Sheikh. The mob not only attacked officials but also broke their vehicle, according to an HT report. There is still no information on whether Sheikh or his family members were present in the house or not.

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“ED officials were attacked and a vehicle was damaged. Even the media was attacked. ED officials had to flee from the spot,” a resident told HT. attack forced the ED officials to abandon the operation and return to Kolkata.

Demanding the declaration of emergency in West Bengal, BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar said that “the democracy is failing again and again” in the state. He also added that "the organisations working against the nation are getting powerful, with bombs, pistols, etc being recovered every day.

"Hence, it is important to remove the government and declare an emergency in the state. Once it's done everything will improve and nobody will dare to attack the ED team," he said.

Commenting on the alleged attack on ED officials, West Bengal BJP Chief Sukanta Majumdar said that the attack on the law enforcement agency is a reflection of the future of the people of Bengal. He also said that the attack is an indication of what “the Rohingyas are doing to the law and order in the state.”

“There is a complaint & corruption charges against all of them. It is natural that ED will take action. It is quite obvious. The attack on ED in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali shows what the Rohingya are doing to the law & order in the state,” he told ANI.