Prime witness in Sandeshkhali violence cases injured; son, driver killed in road accident

Bholanath Ghosh, one of the prime witnesses in the attack on ED officials in Sandeshkhali and connected CBI cases which implicated now-jailed TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan, was injured when a truck collided with his car in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday, a senior officer said.

Ghosh’s younger son, Satyajit (32), and the driver of his car, Sahanur Molla (27), were killed in the accident that took place on Basanti Highway near the Boyramari petrol pump under the Nazat police station limits in Basirhat, he said.

The 16-wheel truck dragged the private vehicle and dumped it into a water body adjacent to the road, the officer said.

While the truck was found on the side of the highway, precariously dangling over the water body, the erring driver fled the spot.

Basirhat SP Hossain Mehedi Rahaman confirmed that injured Ghosh was first taken to a local hospital and later shifted to a private health facility in Kolkata. He was subsequently released from the hospital after primary treatment.

“I was sitting next to the driver, and my son was seated behind him. The truck came and hit our car at full speed on its right side. I cannot say anything more except that this wasn't an accident,” the survivor told reporters.

The bodies of the deceased were sent to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata for the postmortem examinations, the officer said.

Ghosh, accompanied by his son, had left his Sandeshkhali residence and was headed for the Basirhat sub-divisional court to appear in connection with one of the many cases that Shahjahan had filed against him. The accident took place around 8.45 am on a stretch of the road which had no CCTV cover.

“We were on our way to the court to appear in a false case of rape, which Shahjahan had filed against us. I think we were being followed from the moment we left our home,” he said.

Local eyewitnesses claimed that the truck, moving in the opposite direction of the car, jumped lane and rammed into the private vehicle at breakneck speed, crushed it and dragged it along until it fell into the adjacent water body.

Later in the day, forensic experts of the state police examined the vehicles involved in the accident and collected samples from the spot.

Police said they were looking at the possibility of absconding Sandeshkhali violence suspect Abdul Halim Mollah, against whom there’s an arrest warrant issued by a court, driving the truck.

Ghosh’s elder son, Biswajit, claimed that this was a planned attempt to murder his father, and alleged that Shahjahan pulled strings sitting in jail to carry out the crime.

“Our family has been subjected to sustained threats and harassment by Shahjahan and his followers ever since my father began cooperating with the CBI. Two of Shahjahan’s close aides, Trinamool Nazat Panchayat Samiti chief Sabita Roy and her deputy, Moslem Sheikh, orchestrated this attack upon instructions of their boss,” Biswajit alleged.

Both Roy and Sheikh denied the charges.

“This accident is most unfortunate. I have known the family for long and have remained in touch with them ever since I came to know of it. I welcome a fair probe into the accident and let the truth be revealed,” Roy said.

“The allegation is ridiculous. I know this family very well, and we work for the same party. It seems a political conspiracy is being hatched against me. I am 66 years old and I have never practised violence in politics,” Moslem maintained.

Ghosh’s family lodged a complaint at the Nazat police station.

Shahjahan was arrested by police on February 29, 2024 after remaining a fugitive for 55 days following the attack on ED officials by his supporters when the agency reached his doorstep on January 5 to question the TMC leader regarding the under-probe multi-crore ration scam.

Large-scale allegations of forceful land acquisition and sexual assault on local women against Shahjahan and his followers in Sandeshkhali soon began to surface, leading to a major political dust-up ahead of the general elections that year.

The accident drew criticism from the opposition BJP.

“Reports indicate that the truck was driven by Abdul Halim Mollah — one of Shahajahan’s closest aides — along with his associate Nazrul Mollah. Abdul has long been listed as a fugitive in CBI’s records. It is therefore evident that this was no accident but a cold, calculated act of murder,” wrote Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on X.

BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya claimed it was obvious that Shahjahan was eliminating witnesses one by one while sitting in jail.

“Is there any room for doubt that he has Mamata Banerjee’s patronage?” Malviya asked on the social media platform.

West Bengal’s Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said the accident gave the central probe agencies enough reasons to shift the Shahjahan cases out of the state.

“As long as people like Shahjahan Sheikh are lodged in a jail in West Bengal, people like Bholanath Ghosh will never remain safe. Today, his son was killed. Tomorrow, they won’t miss him. These are notorious criminals who continue to receive the patronage of TMC,” he said.

“I keep receiving information from senior prison officials that such people regularly have access to mobile phones and conduct business from jail, and that these officials are powerless to stop this. CBI must move the Supreme Court to shift this case to any state outside Bengal,” the BJP leader said, adding CBI has already “moved the apex court, praying for transfer of 18 post-poll violence cases outside the state”.