The Trinamool Congress (TMC) filed a complaint with the Election Commission concerning a recent raid conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at two locations associated with an alleged aide of Shajahan Sheikh from Sandeshkhali. The TMC denounced the CBI’s actions, asserting that they were a deliberate attempt to tarnish the party’s reputation amidst the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Reacting to the discovery of weapons during the raid, the party accused the BJP of colluding with the CBI and the National Security Guard (NSG) in a conspiracy.
The TMC alleged that the CBI orchestrated the raid at an empty site in Sandeshkhali while elections were underway in three Parliamentary Constituencies in West Bengal: Darjeeling, Raiganj, and Balurghat. According to the TMC, the CBI failed to inform the state government or local police before conducting the raid, even though the state police possessed a fully operational bomb disposal unit. Moreover, the party criticized the CBI for purportedly tipping off the media in advance, suggesting a premeditated effort to shape public opinion against the TMC.
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Furthermore, the TMC expressed astonishment at the presence of media personnel at the raid site before the arrival of state authorities. The party raised doubts about the authenticity of the weapons allegedly recovered during the raid, speculating whether they were genuinely seized or surreptitiously planted by the CBI or NSG. The TMC accused the CBI of collaborating with the media to propagate rumors linking the individual associated with the recovered weapons to the TMC.
The TMC asserted that the CBI’s actions were part of a broader strategy by the BJP to misuse central investigative agencies to tarnish the TMC’s image and influence voters in favor of the BJP. Moreover, the party accused the CBI and NSG of planting the weapons discovered during the raid as part of a larger conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP.
In response to the TMC’s allegations, the CBI released a statement detailing the items recovered during the raid, which included foreign-made revolvers and pistols, Indian revolvers, various cartridges, and bullets.
