TMC’s ‘Pushpa’ Jahangir Khan arrested by Bengal STF near Nepal border

The West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Jahangir Khan, popularly known as ‘Pushpa’, near the India-Nepal border Monday in connection with multiple FIRs against him. Khan was the party’s candidate for the 2026 Assembly elections from the Falta constituency in South 24 Parganas, where he lost the repoll held following allegations of malpractice.

According to STF sources, Khan had been hiding in a hotel close to the Nepal border for the past two days. The hotel reportedly belongs to one of his acquaintances. During the raid, the STF also seized a significant cache of documents in his possession.

STF sources revealed that Khan went into hiding immediately after the Calcutta High Court vacated his interim protection from coercive action in connection with several FIRs against him. When the police raided his house after the repoll on May 21, they found he had absconded. To evade tracking, Khan had switched off his mobile phones and deleted his WhatsApp account.

However, investigators said he kept in touch with his family members and close associates. By tracking those numbers and analysing his frequent travel routes, the STF and local police deployed plainclothes teams to key locations. Khan was eventually spotted and apprehended by one of these undercover units. Legal procedures are currently underway to bring Khan back to Kolkata.

According to police sources, seven FIRs have been registered against Khan at the Falta police station in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district. There are multiple allegations against Khan and his associates, including extortion from locals, murder, and various atrocities committed against the community.

Residents have also reported being prevented from voting, with instances of tape being placed over the buttons of other political parties. Also, there have been accusations of post-poll violence in 2021 involving Jahangir and his associates. This time, residents are demanding new bypolls for the Falta constituency, citing irregularities that occurred at polling stations during the second phase of the elections.

Calcutta High Court ruling

Khan’s arrest followed a ruling by a vacation bench of the Calcutta High Court, which rejected his prayer for an extension of interim protection from arrest.

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While dismissing Khan’s plea, a vacation bench of Justice Partha Sarathi Sen noted, “It would be highly unjust if undue protection is given to the writ petitioner only on account of the change of the political scenario in West Bengal. The writ 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.”

On May 18, a single bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharya granted him temporary protection from arrest. At the time, he was contesting in the repoll for the Falta constituency, where voting had previously been cancelled due to allegations of large-scale irregularities during the second phase of polling on April 29.

The court clarified that interim protection would apply only to existing cases and not to any new proceedings. It also directed Khan to cooperate with investigators and warned that the state could approach the court if he failed to do so. Also, the court instructed Khan to follow the Election Commission’s guidelines strictly and to avoid intimidating or obstructing voters during his campaign.

On May 19, just 48 hours before the scheduled repoll, Khan announced his withdrawal from the election.

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“My dream was a Golden Falta,” Khan said at the time. “Therefore, our Chief Minister (Suvendu Adhikari) is providing a special package for the development of Falta. For that reason, I have decided to withdraw myself from the bypoll scheduled for May 21.”

Despite his late announcement, Khan’s name and the TMC symbol remained on the EVMs. The repoll took place on May 21, and the results were declared on May 24. The BJP won the seat by a landslide margin of more than 1.09 lakh votes, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) finished second with over 40,000 votes. Jahangir Khan secured just 7,783 votes, finishing in fourth place.