Kolkata, Feb 26 (IANS): West Bengal Police finally registered an FIR on Monday against the absconding Trinamool Congress leader based on the complaints filed against him by the villagers of Sandeshkhali.

The FIR has been registered at the Sandeshkhali Police Station on the basis of over 70 complaints filed against Sheikh Shahjahan by the villagers on various charges that include harassment of women, forceful grabbing of farmland and flooding farmland belonging to others with saline water in order to grab it on throwaway prices, among other things, confirmed a district police official.

Sheikh Shahjahan is also the accused mastermind behind the attack on ED and CAPF personnel on January 5 in Sandeshkhali.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Calcutta High Court Chief Justice, Sivagnanam, clearly stated that there was no stay order on the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan and hence there was no restriction on the state police seeking to arrest him.

The Chief Justice’s observation is significant as it comes a day after the Trinamool Congress General Secretary, and party Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee claimed on Sunday that there was a Calcutta High Court stay order on arresting Sheikh Shahjahan.

“I am stating it clearly that there is no such restriction on police. The stay was just on the formation of the joint Special Investigation Team of the CBI and state police for investigating the attack on ED and CPAF personnel. The court never told the police to refrain from arresting Sheikh Shahjahan,” the Chief Justice stated.

The Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court also directed the Registrar of the High Court to make Shahjahan a party in the Sandeshkhali-related case by issuing a notice to be published in the highest-circulated newspaper in the state.

The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for March 4.