Dol, Durga Puja and Diwali came early to Sandeshkhali. On Thursday, upon learning about Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan’s arrest, the local women ululated and blew conch shells. The men burst chocolate bombs and distributed sweets, and all shades of abir went flying into the air. It was a day to remember for Sandeshkhali. West Bengal is famous for baro maashey taro parbon –13 festivals in 12 months. Now Sandeshkhali has 14 festivals, a new reason to celebrate.
But can it commemorate the anniversary of Shahjahan’s arrest next year? To do so, residents will technically have to wait four years for the next leap year, so that’s 2028. But even if they decide to celebrate a faux anniversary on 28 February or 1 March 2025, will they be able to? Seeing how Shahjahan swaggered in and out of court after his arrest, he might be back in business before you can say Jack Robinson.
Suspension from TMC for six years? Mythical. Another TMC strongman Arabul Islam, in the same North 24 Parganas district, was suspended for six years sometime ago but was reportedly back on the job in one and a half. For Shahjahan, that history is sure to repeat itself, certainly if TMC reclaims 22 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. If it loses a few and the BJP’s tally jumps up from 18, then Shajahan could well sail into a different port for shelter. Just as he did after his last mentor, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, lost power.
As he strolled to court, Shahjahan flashed his index finger at journalists asking questions. Even though he didn’t use the middle finger, the message, to me, was clear: Shahjahan will be back.
Why the royal treatment?
The TMC leader’s body language is being dissected threadbare in Bengal, which shows that, even in trying times, the state hasn’t quite lost its sense of humour. And I must give credit where it is due.
Suman De, the star anchor of Bengali news channel ABP Ananda, said that it appeared as if the posse of police officers accompanying Shahjahan would suddenly snap into attention mode and salute him. But no, no one did, he hastened to add.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s state chief Sukanta Majumdar, usually of a serious countenance, also displayed a flash of humour. Instead of the police escorting the arrested Shahjahan to court, he said, it looked like Shahjahan had arrested the police, tied them up with an invisible rope and was yanking them to court.
TMC MP Derek O’Brien, tasked to paper over the situation, retorted, saying: “Who is talking about body language? The BJP? Why don’t you ask them about the body language of Nirav Modi strutting about in London and drinking champagne?”
I watched the footage of Shahjahan’s court appearance in awe. Here, I thought, was a man who had been on the run for 55 days, hunted down by the relentless West Bengal Police from some super-secret hiding hole where he got no food, no water and no clean clothes. Shaving? What’s that?
Days later, this man was being pushed into a sparkling white police SUV, with senior police officers climbing in after him to whisk him off in a convoy to Kolkata. There, cops stood in line to escort him into police headquarters Bhabani Bhawan. For a fleeting moment, I thought they would give him a quick guard of honour.
I would dearly like to know what happened to those ramshackle blue police vans with metal nets over their windows that are usually deployed to transport arrested people to and from court. Did all of those police vans break down between Basirhat Court and Bhabani Bhawan? Why was poor Shahjahan singled out for such differential treatment? Or do I mean deferential treatment?
Also read: Sandeshkhali protest is not TMC vs BJP. It’s the arrival of SC, ST women to the mainstream
Arrested right in time
Anyway, Sheikh Shahjahan is in the bag. And just in time, too. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will land at Arambagh today for his first public rally in West Bengal in a long time. He won’t be able to demand from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee how Shahjahan managed to evade the police for 55 days. TMC managed to pre-empt one tough question, at least.
But Sandeshkhali is sure to be the prime minister’s top talking point at rallies in Arambagh and Krishnanagar on 1 and 2 March. Both venues are miles away from Sandeshkhali. However, Barasat, where Modi will speak on 6 March, is much closer to Sandeshkhali and is expected to draw attendees from the area. Bengal BJP wants to make as much political capital as possible from Sandeshkhali. Modi’s visit should help.
The PM’s visit has forced BJP’s rivals to enter poll mode. The TMC will hold a mega rally at Kolkata’s iconic Brigade Parade Ground. The BJP will hold one rally each at Sandeshkhali, Shahjahan’s home, and the neighbouring Minakhan, where he was apprehended. The CPI-M is planning 10 separate meetings in Sandeshkhali.
All of this is happening on the same day, 10 March, two months and five days after Shahjahan hit the headlines and then vanished. The Sheikh has finally resurfaced. The election campaign in the next few months will demonstrate if the man whose body language reeked of arrogance and inexplicable confidence just after his arrest is an asset for TMC or a liability. A Frankenstein’s monster for whom TMC may have to pay a heavy price.
The author is a senior journalist based in Kolkata. She tweets @Monideepa62. Views are personal.
(edited by Zoya Bhatti)