Kolkata, Jan 30 (IANS): Sheikh Shahjahan, the absconding Trinamool Congress leader and the principal mastermind behind the January-5 attack on ED and CAPF personnel, has now approached a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kolkata for anticipatory bail and that too from underground

The petition contains the signature of the accused. Now questions are being raised that how Shahjahan has managed to sign and forward the affidavit being in the underground even after 25 days have passed since the orchestrated attack took place in front of his residence at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district.

The development happens just a day after the deadline for Shahjahan to appear at the ED office at Salt Lake by 11 a.m. on Monday expired. The matter relating to the application for anticipatory bail might come up for hearing at the special court of PMLA on Tuesday.

Political observers feel that this development will provide an additional arm to the opposition forces to air the view that Shahjahan is operating from underground, assured of safety of the state police forces who are supposed to track them.

Observers feel that it will also strengthen ED’s logic for an independent probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to hunt Shahjahan instead of joint special investigation team (SIT) of CBI and state police created for the purpose as per the direction of a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court.

ED has already issued a lookout notice against Shahjahan in anticipation of his escape to neighbouring Bangladesh as its international borders with India are very close from the residence of Shahjahan.