Day after protest in Falta, 8 held for bid to ‘free’ Jahangir Khan, CM says no one will be spared

A day after tension erupted in Falta in South 24 Parganas over the arrest of TMC strongman Jahangir Khan, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said stringent action would be taken against those who allegedly tried to storm a police station yo to free jailed TMC leader.

So far, eight persons have been arrested in connection with Tuesday’s violent protest outside Falta police station.

Tension erupted in Falta on Tuesday after a group of people, led by Jahangir Khan’s wife, protested outside the local police station, demanding Khan’s release.

Khan, who had dropped out of the Assembly elections days before repolling last month, was arrested on June 8 at Panitanki in Darjeeling district, bordering Nepal.

Khan was wanted in several criminal cases, including kidnapping, extortion, and political violence, that were filed after the TMC lost power in the state.

Since his arrest, police have been parading him on the streets of Falta with his hands tied.

After a video of Khan being paraded went viral on social media, a group of his supporters took to the streets on Tuesday afternoon and blocked roads in Mallikpur and Shatol Kolsa areas.

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According to police, they had received intelligence input of a crowd marching towards the Falta police station with a plan to gherao it and storm it to release Khan.

“To execute the plan, women and children were primarily kept at the forefront. Additional security personnel were deployed, and it helped in thwarting the attack on police station,” said a senior police officer, adding the police resorted to lathicharge to bring the situation under control.

CCTV and viral videos captured the protesters fleeing, with women and children being driven back and several men jumping into nearby ponds to escape the security forces.

Police have registered an FIR against Jahangir Khan’s wife, naming her as the mastermind who mobilised the supporters to allegedly free her husband.

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“I was in Kurseong on Tuesday. I saw on television that some people, under the leadership of the mafia’s (Jahangir Khan) wife, tried to attack police personnel and paramilitary forces. The rule of law has been established in Falta. No matter how big a mafia is, the BJP government will teach them a lesson,” the CM said.

“Those seen in the videos would not be spared. I am instructing the superintendent of police to book those involved in anti-state activities. They must be punished so that no one can dare to attack police, government employees or paramilitary forces again… There will be no room for hooliganism, loot or violence of any kind in this area anymore,” the CM said.

“Not only jail, but the properties of those who have carried out the attack will be confiscated and put up for auction. Our double-engine government will ensure this. Establishing the rule of law is our objective,” he added.

Khan rose to national limelight after he called himself ‘Pushpa’ — inspired by the Allu Arjun-starrer Telugu blockbuster – to hit out at an IPS officer from UP during the election campaigning.

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Will develop Falta into model constituency: CM

Kolkata: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday announced a series of measures aimed at strengthening law and order and public services in Falta, asserting that it would be developed into a “model assembly constituency”.

Addressing a ‘Janakalyan Shivir’ (government outreach camp) at Falta in South 24 Parganas district, Adhikari also said a women’s police station would be set up in the area, and additional women police personnel would be recruited.

“A separate help desk for women will also be set up at the Falta police station. We will not allow unrest and corruption in Falta anymore,” Adhikari, who is also the state Home minister, said.

He said that a women’s college and a fire brigade station would be set up in Falta as part of the development push.

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The BJP had swept the repoll to the Falta assembly seat with a victory margin of more than one lakh votes in the constituency long seen as a citadel of the TMC, whose nominee Jahangir Khan slipped to fourth place and forfeited his deposit.