Sandeshkhali: TMC's Shajahan Sheikh sent to 10-day police custody by court

Basirhat (WB): TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh of Sandeshkhali was sent to 10 days in police custody by a court in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Thursday.

Sheikh was produced before the court in Basirhat around 10.40 am after his arrest from Minakhan in the early hours.

The state police sought 14 days of custody, but the court granted 10 days.

The riverine Sandeshkhali area -- situated on the borders of the Sundarbans, about 100 kilometres from Kolkata -- has been on the boil for more than a month with protests over allegations of sexual abuse and land grab against Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters.

The unrest in the area stems from accusations against Shajahan and his supporters of land grabbing and sexual assault with the local TMC strongman evading authorities since a mob attack on Enforcement Directorate officials on January 5.

Shajahan Sheikh was arrested on Thursday morning from a house in Minakhan, around 30 km away from the island of Sandeshkhali. Sheikh was hiding in the house along with a few associates, police said