Sandeshkhali: Trinamool leader arrested for sexual harassment

Kolkata: Police arrested local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shibaprasad Hazra in an alleged sexual harassment case in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal, as well as a land grab case, Live Mint reported.

This is the second main arrest in the case following the arrest of Uttam Sardar, but the prime accused in the case, Shahjahan Sheikh, is still absconding.

Hazra was caught from a hideout in Sandeshkhali on Saturday and is to be produced before a local court on Sunday.

Live Mint reports that the authorities have arrested 18 others in connection with the case. Also, with respect to a survivor's statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a magistrate, police increased the charges over them to include Sections 376D (gangrape) and 307 (attempt to murder).

It was last month that protests started in Sandheshkhali with villagers demanding the arrest of Sheikh and his associates. The three were accused of forcibly acquiring land, pumping saltwater into fields to render them unusable, and engaging in sexual harassment. However, Sheikh has been missing since the Enforcement Directorate initiated a raid in a separate case of corruption.