Kolkata, Feb 20 : A division bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Tuesday, expressed doubts on whether the absconding Trinamool Congress leader and the accused mastermind of the January 5 attack on ED and CAPF personnel in Sandeshkhali, Sheikh Shahjahan, was under any kind of protection.

'I do not know whether such a person is in any kind of protection. But it seems either he has gone beyond the reach of the state police or he is under some kind of protection,' Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam observed on Tuesday.

He also observed that the different state and investigative agencies can ask the absconding leader to surrender at the Calcutta High Court. 'Controversies concerning him had been brewing for such a long time. Sheikh Shahjahan could have come in public and denied the allegations of land grabbing against him,' the Chief Justice observed.

He also observed that as an elected public representative who has been elected by popular mandate Sheikh Shahjahan should place his point of arguments in public. 'As an elected public representative he should have worked for public welfare. But now it seems that he is acting against public interest.

To recall, Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Justice Apurba Sinha Roy, on February 13, took sumo motu cognizance of the recent developments in Sandeshkhali and allowed hearing two separate cases in the matter. The first is the allegations of forceful grabbing of land of the local people and the second is on the allegation of sexual harassment of local women at gunpoint

However, in due course Justice Sinha Roy referred the case to the division bench of Justice Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya. That matter came up for hearing on Tuesday afternoon, where the Chief Justice made these observations.

A total of 46 days have passed since the attack on the ED and CAPG sleuths on January 5, and Sheikh Shahjahan has managed to remain absconding. Sandeshkhali has been rocked by protests by local women who have been complaining of sexual harassment and violence against them by the close associates of Shahjahan.

/IANS