The Bengal Special Task Force (STF) and Darjeeling Police apprehended Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Jahangir Khan from Panitanki Bazar on the India-Nepal border around 2:30 PM on Sunday. Khan, who was the party's candidate from Falta and earned the nickname 'Pushpa' during the elections, had been evading arrest for two weeks. He faces multiple criminal charges, including seven FIRs for murder, extortion, and electoral malpractice.
Details of the Arrest
According to a senior STF officer, Khan initially hid in a hotel in Phansidewa before moving to a house near the international border. Another officer revealed that Khan planned to flee to Nepal with his wife and son and had even arranged to enroll his son in a school there. An intelligence unit officer claimed that Khan had already crossed into Nepal alone and rented a house in Kathmandu, where he stayed for a few days. He returned to India through the Panitanki border on Sunday morning, where he was arrested.
An officer told TOI, "The accused went completely off the grid to evade electronic surveillance. He switched off his phones, changed his SIM cards, and deleted his WhatsApp account as he fled Falta. However, he continued to maintain contact with a few trusted associates and family members through alternative channels. By tracking those numbers and mapping his travel patterns, our teams tracked him down."
Legal Proceedings
The Bengal STF stated that Khan, wanted in several cases registered at Falta Police Station under Diamond Harbour Police District, was arrested at 2:30 PM from Panitanki Bazar under Kharibari PS. He was taken to Phansidewa PS, where elaborate security arrangements were in place with a large contingent of state police and central forces. Subsequently, he was produced before a local court and ordered to be brought to Diamond Harbour Police District.
Background of the Case
The Election Commission ordered a fresh vote in Falta after complaints of violence and malpractice during the polling on April 29, with the re-poll scheduled for May 21. An arrest warrant was issued against Khan, who moved court. On May 18, a single-judge bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharya granted him temporary immunity from arrest to allow him to contest the Falta re-poll. However, 48 hours before the May 21 re-poll, Khan withdrew from the contest, citing a shift in alignment. He stated, "My dream was a Golden Falta. Our chief minister (Suvendu Adhikari) is providing a special package for the development of Falta. For that reason, I have decided to withdraw myself."
A day after the re-election, a vacation bench of the Calcutta High Court, presided over by Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, vacated the interim protection. The court observed, "It would be highly unjust if undue protection is given to the writ petitioner only on account of the change of the political scene in Bengal. The petitioner has miserably failed to make out a case of interim protection; the prayer for extension of interim protection is rejected, and the interim protection is vacated." Following this, Khan fled.
Aftermath and Public Reaction
When police teams initially raided Khan's South 24 Parganas home on May 21, they found the house locked and him missing. As news of 'Pushpa's' arrest spread on Monday morning, people in Falta celebrated. However, the jubilation turned into targeted fury as enraged locals marched to Khan's party office, broke locks, forced open shutters, and went on the rampage inside. Central paramilitary forces looked on as protesters vandalized plastic tables, chairs, computers, and TVs, hurling stacks of documents onto the streets while chanting anti-Khan slogans. Inside the office, protesters reportedly discovered large stockpiles of liquor bottles and quantities of government relief materials, including tarpaulins and other aid supplies.
After ransacking the office, the protesters vented their anger at Khan's under-construction house nearby. Some individuals, their faces covered, allegedly removed materials from the office premises during the unrest.
