How TMC's 'Pushpa' Jahangir Khan went from defiance to arrest after Falta debacle

West Bengal Police on Monday arrested former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Jahangir Khan, weeks after the Calcutta high court's vacation bench declined to extend his interim protection from arrest in five FIRs.

Khan became a key figure in controversy during the assembly elections after repolling was ordered in the Falta constituency, where he was contesting and alleged irregularities were reported.

Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee refused to extend Khan's interim protection and referred the matter to a regular bench for further hearing.

Earlier, Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya had granted Khan interim protection from arrest till May 26, taking into account the May 21 repoll in Falta.

The state government had approached the court seeking to vacate the interim protection before it expired, but Justice Bhattacharyya declined to intervene.

Khan had moved the Calcutta high court seeking protection from coercive action by West Bengal Police, alleging that multiple criminal cases were being repeatedly filed against him.

Khan's “Pushpa” remark came after Uttar Pradesh-cadre IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, appointed by the Election Commission as a police observer in West Bengal, was likened to the “Singham” character portrayed by Ajay Devgn in the "Singham" film franchise. Khan responded by comparing himself to “Pushpa,” the fictional strongman played by Allu Arjun.

The plea came two days after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari warned BJP workers in Falta on May 16: “He (Khan) is a designated most notorious criminal and I will personally handle his case. So-called Pushpa is my responsibility now.”

In the repoll, BJP candidate Debangshu Panda won Falta by a record margin of 1,09,021 votes, slightly exceeding the one-lakh target set by Adhikari. BJP secured 71.2% of the vote share in the constituency.

The Falta repoll witnessed more than 88% voter turnout amid heavy CAPF deployment. Many voters said they were able to cast their ballots "without fear" for the first time in years, while TMC flags largely disappeared after Khan withdrew from the contest 48 hours before polling.