The BJP on Thursday dubbed the arrest of Shajahan Sheikh as a "legal protection" given to him by the West Bengal police.

BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi slammed the state's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) for not slapping Sheikh with the criminal charges levelled against him by women in Sandeshkhali.

The complainant women have accused the local TMC strongman and some other party members of sexually assaulting them and grabbing land.

Sheikh was arrested in the early hours of Thursday after being on the run for 55 days that witnessed violent protests led by the Sandeshkhali women and a fierce political slugfest.

Trivedi claimed that Sheikh has been arrested in the case involving violent attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials by a mob affiliated to him.

The BJP leader asked at a press conference as to why the West Bengal police has in such a case not handed over his custody to the central agency.

He said the video of Sheikh striding ahead with cops following him looked more like a case of him being escorted instead of being under arrest.

The TMC leader was under "secular protection" all these days when he was supposedly on the run while he is now under legal protection, Trivedi said.

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