A court in West Bengal has remanded Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Jahangir Khan to five days of police custody in connection with an ongoing investigation related to "extortion" charges, police said. Khan was produced before the court after his arrest, following which the investigating agency sought his custodial interrogation. After hearing the submissions, the court granted police custody for five days to facilitate further questioning and investigation into the matter.
The development came a day after Khan was arrested on Monday near the India-Nepal border in north Bengal on "extortion" charges. Earlier on May 26, the Calcutta High Court had vacated an interim protection granted to Khan, against whom seven FIRs were registered at Falta police station in South 24 Parganas district. "Khan was arrested from the India-Nepal border area in north Bengal," a police officer said. Details with regard to the arrest were, however, not divulged by the police.
What happens next?
Following the completion of the five-day police custody period, Jahangir Khan will be produced before the court again. The court will then decide on the next course of action based on the progress of the investigation and submissions made by the investigating agency.
Locals ransack Jahangir Khan's office in Falta
Earlier on Monday, angry locals allegedly ransacked TMC leader Jahangir Khan's office at Falta in South 24 Parganas district, soon after he was arrested near the India-Nepal border in north Bengal.
Khan's office was reportedly vandalised, with the mob smashing windowpanes and damaging furniture in several rooms. Police will initiate an investigation into the incident, an officer said. Several packets of relief supplies were also reportedly found inside the office, triggering further anger among the locals, who accused Khan and his associates of withholding materials intended for distribution among the needy.
Jahangir Khan withdrew nomination
Jahangir Khan previously contested from the Falta Assembly in the West Bengal Assembly elections last month, but announced his withdrawal from the election before the repolling, which was held on May 21. The TMC termed it a "betrayal" while BJP leaders took jibes at him for "running away". The re-elections recorded a victory for the BJP as the party's candidate, Debangshu Panda, secured a massive win with a margin of 1,09,021 votes against Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate Sambhu Nath Kurmi. Jahangir Khan was placed fourth in the re-polling, winning just 7,783 votes.
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