Bholanath Ghosh, a prime witness in the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Sandeshkhali and related Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cases involving jailed Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, was critically injured in a road accident on Wednesday in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, a senior police officer confirmed.
The accident occurred on the Basanti Highway near the Boyramari petrol pump under the Nazat Police Station limits in the Basirhat area when a speeding truck rammed into Ghosh’s private car.
Son and Driver Killed on the Spot
Ghosh’s younger son, Satyajit (32), and the driver of the car, Sahanur Molla (27), were killed in the collision, police said.
The impact was so severe that the truck dragged the private vehicle and eventually dumped it into a water body adjacent to the highway, according to officials. The truck was later found precariously hanging on the edge of the road over the water body, while the driver fled the scene.
Basirhat Superintendent of Police Hossain Mehedi Rahaman confirmed that Ghosh was first rushed to a local hospital and was later shifted to a private hospital in Kolkata due to the critical nature of his injuries.
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“The bodies of the deceased have been sent to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata for post-mortem examinations,” the SP said.
‘Planned Attempt to Murder’: Son’s Explosive Allegation
In a sharp escalation, Ghosh’s elder son, Biswajit, alleged that the accident was a “planned attempt to murder” his father, claiming that Sheikh Shahjahan orchestrated the attack from jail.
According to him, Ghosh was on his way to the Basirhat sub-divisional court to appear in connection with one of the multiple cases that Shahjahan had filed against him when the crash occurred.
Local eyewitnesses told police that the truck, travelling in the opposite direction at “breakneck speed”, rammed into the car, crushed it and dragged it for a distance before it plunged into the water body.
As of the latest reports, formal complaints from the victims’ family members were yet to be lodged, police said.
Case Linked to Sandeshkhali ED Attack
Bholanath Ghosh is a key witness in cases linked to the attack on ED officials in Sandeshkhali, a politically sensitive investigation that led to the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan, once a powerful Trinamool Congress leader in the region.
The incident is now likely to trigger intensified security concerns around witnesses in politically charged criminal cases in West Bengal.
