'Arrest Mamata, Declare TMC Terrorist Organisation': Suvendu Adhikari After CBI Searches In Sandeshkhali

New Delhi: BJP leader and West Bengal Assembly LoP Suvendu Adhikari launched an attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress and demanded to declare the party a terrorist organization and arrest Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Adhikari's scathing comments came after the CBI seized arms and ammunition, including foreign-made pistols, during its searches at multiple locations in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali. Speaking to the reporters Adhikari said,  "All the weapons found in Sandeshkhali are foreign. Explosives like RDX are used in horrific anti-national activities. All these weapons are used by international terrorists. I demand to declare Trinamool Congress as a terrorist organisation."

"This state is a paradise. People who watched the trailer on the incident in Khadikul, Egra, today watched the movie amid the recovery of RDX and deadly weapons in Sandeshkhali. Mamata Banerjee is fully responsible for this incident. I demand to arrest Mamata Banerjee and declare Trinamool Congress as a terrorist organisation," he added.

The CBI seized arms and ammunition, including a police service revolver and foreign-made firearms, during searches at two premises of an associate of now-suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, officials said.

The searches were conducted in connection with the January attack on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team by a mob that was allegedly instigated by Sheikh, who was arrested by the West Bengal Police on February 29 in the case.

Teams of the Central Bureau Investigation (CBI), the bomb detection squad, the National Security Guard (NSG), the central paramilitary forces and the West Bengal Police were part of the searches at the village -- a riverine delta -- on the fringes of the Sunderbans in North 24 Parganas district.

The recovery of firearms led to an exchange of accusations between the TMC and the BJP, with the ruling party claiming the BJP was scheming to undermine the state government during the current Lok Sabha elections, while the BJP retaliated by accusing the TMC of colluding with "anti-national forces".

"During the investigation of this case, information was received that the items lost by the ED team and other incriminating articles may be hidden at the residence of an associate of Sheikh at Sandeshkhali, North 24 Parganas. Accordingly, the team of the CBI along with CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel searched two premises at Sandeshkhali today," a CBI statement said.

The swift operation resulted in the seizure of a huge cache of small arms and ammunition, and these included foreign-made firearms.

During the searches, the CBI seized three foreign-made revolvers and one foreign-made pistol, one Indian revolver, one Colt official issue police revolver, one country-made pistol, 120 nine mm bullets, 50 cartridges of .45 calibre, 120 nine mm cartridges, 50 cartridges of .380 and eight cartridges of .32, the statement said.

"Besides, many incriminating documents related to Shajahan have also been found. Some items, suspected to be country-made bombs, have also been seized and those are being handled and disposed of by the teams of the NSG," it said.