West Bengal: TMC's Jahangir Khan produced before Diamond Harbour Subdivision Court

He was produced in court on Tuesday morning. The court premises were surrounded by tight security to avoid unrest. State police and central forces were deployed.

Jahangir Khan, who was wanted in several cases of Falta Police Station under Diamond Harbour, was arrested on Monday at around 2:30 pm from Panitanki Bazar under Kharibari PS by West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) in a joint raid with the Darjeeling Police team.

Panitanki Bazar is a town area located in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, situated near the border with Nepal.

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.

Earlier, West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul said that anyone who harmed the citizens of West Bengal would not be spared. "Whether he is Pushpa or anyone else, those who have tortured and oppressed the people of Bengal have never been spared," she said to reporters.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya also welcomed the move while questioning the delay in the action.

Criticising the delay in holding the leader accountable, Bhattacharya told ANI, "It was essential to take these people into custody. The question is, why wasn't this done sooner? The government has a basic responsibility to take action against criminals in accordance with the law, yet it failed to do so for so long." (ANI)