Police in West Bengal have arrested Jahangir Khan, a local leader from the Sundarban region, while he was attempting to cross into Nepal. He was apprehended by a special police team at the Siliguri border on Monday. He is currently being brought to Kolkata after being presented in the Siliguri court.
Jahangir Khan contested the recent state assembly elections from Falta in the South 24 Parganas district. On April 29, the day of voting in Falta, widespread violence erupted. Khan is accused of tampering with EVM machines by placing cellotape over other candidates' symbols. Following these incidents, the Election Commission canceled the Falta election and announced a re-election on May 21. Meanwhile, the results of the assembly elections were declared on May 4, with Trinamool Congress suffering a significant defeat by the BJP.
After the election results, Jahangir Khan, feeling insecure, petitioned the Kolkata High Court for protection during the election campaign. Although the High Court initially granted him protection, it later withdrew it. Uttar Pradesh IPS officer and encounter specialist Ajay Pal Sharma visited Falta to assess the situation. Khan allegedly threatened Sharma, identifying himself as 'Pushpa' and making a one-handed gesture. Khan later withdrew from the re-election, citing the new Chief Minister's development package for Falta. Despite this, Khan went into hiding, leading to a police manhunt. In the re-election, the BJP candidate won the seat with over 1.09 lakh votes, followed by the CPM candidate with over 40,000 votes. Khan received 7,783 votes. Following his arrest, Khan's office in Falta was vandalized.
