Kolkata, Jan 15 (IANS): Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, allegedly the mastermind of the January 5 attack on ED and CAPF personnel at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Paragans district, on Monday approached a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court seeking permission to be made a party in the related case.

While Sheikh Shahjahan continues to remain absconding since the day of the attack, he made this application at the single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta through his counsel on Monday afternoon. Three ED officials were severely injured in that attack and had to be hospitalised.

ED has in the meantime approached the Calcutta High Court with the plea that the charge of investigation on the attack on its officials be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Now Shahjahan through his counsel has approached the court with a plea for his inclusion as party in that case only.

While making the plea on behalf of his client, Shahjahan’s counsel argued that his client wants to become a party in the case as he feels that his personal liberty was violated because of the central agency action. “The procedure of ED’s raid and search operations on that day was not right. So I request the court to hear my client’s version as well,” Shahjahan’s counsel argued in the court.

Reacting to that, the CBI’s counsel argued that to be a party in the case, first there should be a proper application on this count. Justice Sengupta also questioned Shahjahan’s counsel on why his client has not surrendered as yet.

Although four persons have been arrested by the state police in connection with the attack on ED and CAPF personnel so far, the alleged mastermind has remained absconding. There had been claims from a section of Trinamool Congress’s district leadership in North 24 Parganas that Shahjahan is still at Sandeshkhali.

Meanwhile, ED has already issued a lookout notice against him in anticipation that he might make an attempt to escape to neighbouring Bangladesh, whose international borders with India is very close to the place of attack on ED and CAPF personnel.