New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) In a suo motu firearms case, police have arrested Saddam Sheikh, son of former Katwa Municipal Councillor Jangal Sheikh, nearly two years after the case was first registered in West Bengal.
Saddam was taken into custody on Thursday night from a de-addiction centre in Nadia, West Bengal.
On Friday, he was produced before the Katwa Sub-Divisional Court, where the judge ordered six days of police remand. According to police sources, on September 26, 2023, Katwa Police registered a case against Saddam under several charges, including possession of illegal firearms.
At the time, he was already in jail in connection with another case. A petition for his arrest in the firearms case had earlier been rejected by the ACJM Court. However, on Thursday evening, acting on the existing charges, Katwa Police apprehended him from the rehabilitation facility in Nadia.
Saddam’s lawyer alleged that police brutally assaulted him while taking him from the de-addiction centre late at night, and the incident – captured on CCTV – has now gone viral on social media, sparking public criticism. Once a dominant figure in Katwa, along with his father, Jangal Sheikh, Saddam’s name has been linked to multiple criminal activities, including theft and robbery.
Despite facing numerous cases, the duo often managed to secure acquittals.
Police have stated that during the six-day custody, Saddam will be interrogated to trace the source of the firearms and identify other individuals connected to the case.
Defence counsel Tarun Banerjee accused the police of abusing their power, physically assaulting his client, and attempting to implicate him repeatedly as part of a political conspiracy.
He further claimed that the matter would be taken to the higher courts, raising questions of human rights violations.
The arrest has reignited discussions in Katwa about the former influence of Saddam Sheikh and his family.
–IANS
sas/dan
