A sweeping police operation across East Burdwan has triggered major political controversy after nine Trinamool Congress leaders and workers were arrested in connection with allegations ranging from extortion and illegal arms possession to land grabbing, vandalism and criminal intimidation. The coordinated crackdown, carried out across multiple police station areas, has intensified the political battle between the BJP and Trinamool Congress in post-election West Bengal.
Police teams from Burdwan, Raina, Jamalpur, Katwa and Kalna conducted separate raids over the past few days, leading to the arrest of several influential local Trinamool leaders, including district general secretaries Shibshankar Ghosh and Babulal Sheikh.
One of the most high-profile arrests involved Shibshankar Ghosh, popularly known as Shibu Ghosh, a district Trinamool general secretary and resident of Narayandighi in Burdwan. According to police sources, he was arrested after a BJP worker from Golghar Ghoshpara, Mukul Nandi, accused him and his associates of demanding ₹10 lakh as extortion money and threatening to kill him if the payment was not made within 24 hours.
While being taken to Burdwan court on Wednesday, Shibshankar denied all allegations and claimed he was being falsely implicated for political reasons. He alleged that the case was part of a planned conspiracy after the elections and said he would continue his political struggle following the ideals of Mamata Banerjee.
Former minister Swapan Debnath also came out in his support, arguing that the allegations were politically motivated and unbelievable. According to him, Shibshankar himself had been forced to remain away from home due to political pressure.
In another major development, Jamalpur Police arrested Berugram Trinamool regional president Sheikh Shahabuddin alias Dani, his driver Sheikh Manik and INTTUC leader Tabarak Ali Mondal. The accused claimed that their only “crime” was being associated with the Trinamool Congress and accused the administration of targeting them out of political vendetta.
However, police officials maintained that the arrests were based on evidence gathered over several incidents of unrest and provocative activities reported before the elections.
Meanwhile, Raina Police arrested active Trinamool worker Sanjay Santra alias Tota after allegedly recovering firearms and cartridges from his possession.
Katwa also witnessed dramatic developments after district Trinamool general secretary Babulal Sheikh and his brothers Kochi Sheikh and Chottu Sheikh were arrested over allegations of land grabbing and extortion.
A local resident, Sharmistha Mukhopadhyay, accused the group of illegally occupying a portion of her 54-decimal property near Station Road in Katwa to build a club structure. She further alleged that large sums of money were demanded when the family sought restoration of the land.
Police said investigations revealed links between the accused and the alleged illegal occupation, following which the arrests were made. Local residents have also expressed shock over the rapid rise in wealth and influence allegedly associated with some of the arrested leaders.
In Kalna, police arrested panchayat member Mujibur Rahman Mondal alias Kochi after allegedly recovering firearms from his possession.
On Wednesday, the three arrested brothers from Katwa were produced before the sub-divisional court. The court sent Babulal Sheikh and Chottu Sheikh to four days of police custody, while Kochi Sheikh was remanded to seven days in judicial custody.
Trinamool Congress leaders have strongly criticised the arrests, calling them politically motivated. District leaders Rabindranath Chattopadhyay and Bagbul Islam accused the BJP of using false cases to weaken Trinamool’s organisational structure after the elections.
The BJP, however, rejected the allegations outright. District BJP president Abhijit Ta stated that the police were now functioning independently and enforcing the rule of law without political interference. BJP leader Anil Dutta also insisted that the law was taking its own course and denied any role of political revenge.
East Burdwan Additional Superintendent of Police Arka Banerjee confirmed that a special anti-crime drive across the district led to the recovery of five firearms and six rounds of ammunition. He said multiple accused involved in illegal activities had been arrested as part of the operation.
The large-scale crackdown has now become one of the biggest political flashpoints in East Burdwan, with both ruling and opposition camps trading sharp accusations amid rising post-election tensions.
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