The STF had been tracking Khan’s movements based on intelligence inputs before carrying out the operation. According to police, seven FIRs were registered against Khan at Falta police station in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district.
Also read: ‘He had no other option’: Suvendu on TMC’s Jahangir Khan pulling out of Falta race
Khan, a close aide of TMC national general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, was the TMC candidate from the Falta assembly constituency for the West Bengal Assembly poll.
The Calcutta High Court had withdrawn interim protection earlier granted to Khan from any coercive action by police in a series of criminal cases filed against him. The court had on May 18 allowed Khan relief from coercive steps, but this was later cancelled. The judges observed that continuing such protection would not be appropriate simply because of a change in the political situation in the state and claims of political vendetta raised by the petitioner.
On behalf of Khan, his lawyer Kishore Dutta argued before the court that several criminal cases were registered against his client after the Assembly election results on May 4, and that these cases were a result of political revenge. Additional Advocate General Rajdeep Majumdar, however, opposed the request for extension, stating that the earlier protection was granted only to enable Khan to take part in the repoll held at Falta on May 21.
Falta repoll and withdrawalKhan had been the TMC candidate for the Falta Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district. A full repoll was ordered in the Falta constituency after complaints that TMC workers tampered with EVMs. The repoll was necessitated after the Election Commission cancelled the votes cast on April 29 during the second phase of the Assembly elections, citing serious irregularities, including allegations of booth capturing and intimidation.
Ahead of the May 21 repoll, Khan withdrew his nomination. He said the decision to pull out of the race was taken for the welfare of people in Falta.
In the repoll, BJP’s Debangshu Panda won the Falta seat with 1,49,666 votes, while Khan, contesting on the TMC ticket, came fourth with 7,783 votes.
Khan’s arrest follows the earlier detention of several of his close associates. West Bengal Police had arrested Israfil Chakdar, the head of Bagnanagar-II gram panchayat and a close associate of Khan, from the Hasimnagar area within the Falta police station jurisdiction on charges including extortion, assault, and intimidation.
Also read: Got to know Jahangir Khan not contesting Falta repoll: TMC spokesperson
The arrest of Chakdar had followed widespread protests in Hasimnagar, where local women organised road blockades for two days, alleging that TMC-backed individuals led by Chakdar had stopped them from voting and kept them confined at home during polling.
An FIR was also lodged against Jahangir Khan and eight others in connection with the alleged murder of a six-year-old girl in 2017.
