Fact-finding delegation detained in West Bengal

An unofficial factfinding team was halted by police from reaching Sandeshkhali in Bengal, the Trinamool Congress announced a mega rally days after the Prime Minister is expected to arrive in the state, and the party lashed out at the judiciary as the political war over the besieged Southern Bengal block escalated on Sunday.

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Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the judiciary, accusing the judges of shielding Sheikh Shahjahan, who belongs to his party and has been at the heart of allegations that he ran a criminal enterprise in Sandeshkhali, where he grabbed people's lands, forced them to work at exploitative wages and had his acquaintances assault including rape - people who spoke up.

"The judiciary is guarding. Sheikh Shahjahan - and I put this on record so that Sandeshkhali remains on the boil, remains in the headlines. The TMC government will not spare anyone if the allegations are genuine but the Calcutta high court has tied the hands of the police," Banerjee, the nephew of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, said on Sunday evening.

Sandeshkhali, a block with several villages nestled between lakes and marshes of the lower Ganga wetlands, has been rocked by violent protests since February 7, when villagers descended upon poultry farm linked to Shahjahan's aide and set it alight.

The issue has since emerged at the heart of a political war, led by the opposition BJP which has accused Trinamool of protecting its cadre.

The matter could remain in the spotlight with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to visit the state on March 6 to campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, although the venue of his programme has not yet been disclosed.