ED officials, CRPF personnel attacked in Bengal, police took 1 hour to respond

Police did not arrive at the scene for about an hour, according to the Enforcement Directorate's report, which was reportedly written up hours after the assault on ED officers and CRPF troops at Sarberia in North 24-Parganas, according to central agency sources.

On Friday morning, during a search and seizure operation at the home of local Trinamul Congress politician Sheikh Shahjahan in Sandeshkhali, a crowd assaulted a team of ED officials and accompanying CRPF soldiers.

When the eight-person squad arrived in Sarberia at 7:10 a.m., they waited outside Shahjahan's residence for almost an hour before attempting to smash through the front entrance. The squad was then reportedly ambushed by a group of enraged citizens. The locals harassed the CRPF officers and the ED officials for about an hour, causing the team to have to depart. According to ED sources, no police officers had rescued them throughout this period.

According to the sources, a police squad was contacted more over an hour after top ED personnel had sent an email requesting assistance from nearby law enforcement.

According to the report, the crowd assaulted the Tata Aria SUV that was utilized to transport the team, which included CRPF troops, to Sandeshkhali. The onslaught, led by women and including hundreds of other locals, resulted in damaged windshields and head injuries for two cops.

According to the allegation, the locals assaulted a part of the CRPF troops with iron rods and bricks, forcing them to flee via a banana grove and take an e-rickshaw to a highway.

Insiders who are aware of the contents of the report said that it also detailed how other media persons were assaulted and had their cars looted.

A comprehensive report is now being drafted, and a copy of the report has been sent to higher-ups in New Delhi. After that, it would be brought before the Calcutta High Court, an ED official in charge said.

Senior police district officials in Basirhat, however, said they had come to the central team's help and made arrangements for a police vessel to make it easier for them to cross a river and leave the area of concern.

"We were not notified in advance of the search and seizure operation. The crew was saved from the crowd by us when we arrived at the location, according to Joby Thomas K, the police superintendent of the Basirhat police district.

The report explained why, in light of the current investigation into purported anomalies in the distribution of rations across the state, it was imperative to visit Shahjahan's residence, which was sealed from the inside.

"We have filed a grievance with the nearby law enforcement on the obstruction of official government operations and instances of physical assault against them. provisions 353 and 332 of the IPC, which deal with assault using criminal force to prevent a government official from carrying out his duties and penalty for inflicting hurt, are among the provisions under which a case has been brought," the ED officer said. "We will follow up this case."

The CRPF also issued a report to its headquarters on Lodhi Road in New Delhi, outlining the events of the day, including the attacks on its soldiers and the fact that no bullet was fired to break up the crowd despite sufficient provocation.