KOLKATA, Jan 5: During a raid in West Bengal, the supporters of a TMC leader attacked Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers. This led to a political standoff, with the opposition demanding the imposition of President’s Rule and Governor C V Ananda Bose indicating his intention to look into constitutional options and take appropriate action. The Congress has urgently called for the imposition of President’s Rule after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described the incident at Sandeshkhali in the North 24 Parganas district as a direct assault on the federal structure.However, the ruling TMC dismissed the accusations and charged that locals had been incited by central agency officials. The incident happened when ED officers raided TMC leader Sheikh Sajahan’s home and were attacked by his supporters. As a result, both the officers’ vehicles and their own were seriously damaged. State Minister Jyotipriyo Mallick, who was detained in relation to the multi-crore ration distribution scam, is thought to have had close assistance from Sajahan. An important component of the agency’s ongoing investigation into the multi-crore ration distribution scam was this operation.During the raid, a large number of TMC loyalists attacked ED officials and central forces personnel, forcing the officers to flee in autorickshaws and two-wheelers and abandon their damaged vehicles. Hospitalisation was necessary for at least two of the officers who sustained significant injuries. “An attack like this has never happened before. The ED officer told , “We have forwarded a report regarding Shiekh Sajahan to our Delhi office. The governor also voiced harsh criticism over the incident, accusing the state government of failing to control the unrest in Sandeshkhali.The horrific event that occurred in Sandeshkhali is horrifying and disgusting. In a democracy, it is the responsibility of a civilised government to put an end to vandalism and barbarism. In a voice message issued from the Raj Bhavan, Bose stated, “As a Governor, I explore all of my constitutional options for appropriate action in the appropriate manner.” West Bengal is not a “banana republic,” he added.The government needs to face the consequences or open its eyes to reality and act accordingly. In an audio statement, Bose stated, “The police should stop acting like ostriches and pretending not to notice the lawlessness around them. The incident set off a political firestorm in West Bengal, where opposition parties denounced the state of law and order that was rapidly deteriorating. The failure of the corresponding state governments to provide central agency officers with sufficient security was highlighted by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nisith Pramanik, who said, “The attack on the officers of the central agency is an attack on the federal structure of the state.”He stated that the Centre is paying close attention to the incident and is determined to find out why West Bengal experiences these kinds of things on a regular basis. Sukanta Majumdar, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state, wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to request the imposition of President’s Rule in the state and an expeditious National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe. In order to protect the safety of the Bengali people, he wrote on X, “I have written to the Hon’ble Home Minister @AmitShahJi to initiate NIA investigation into the matter as the law and order situation in WB has crumbled thanks to @AITCofficial, post the heinous attack on the ED officials at Sandeshkhali.” In order to preserve the objectivity of the investigative processes, Majumdar’s correspondence also called for the deployment of central paramilitary forces.Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the president of the State Congress, echoed these ideas. West Bengal’s law and order are abolished under the TMC regime. We demand that West Bengal be placed under President’s Rule right now,” he uttered. Shashi Panja, a senior TMC minister, responded by accusing the central agency officials of inciting the locals and creating the situation. Minister Nisith Pramanik of the Union discussed the assault on the federal system. In a true sense, the state’s refusal to pay its dues is an assault on the federal government, the speaker stated. State spokesperson for the TMC Kunal Ghosh criticised the Congress and the BJP, arguing that West Bengal has far better law and order than other states.“The governor is drawing conclusions without conducting an objective investigation into the entire incident. He ought to quit behaving like a BJP official,” he remarked. News channel employees who travelled to Sandeskhali to cover the ED raids were also beaten and had their cars looted.
