Bengal Police arrest close aide of Trinamool candidate Jahangir Khan ahead of May 21 Falta repoll

Kolkata, May 16 (IANS) Just days before the re-election in Falta Assembly constituency in Diamond Harbour, a Trinamool Congress leader close to party candidate Jahangir Khan has been arrested, said the police on Saturday.

Falta Panchayat Samiti vice-president Saidul Khan has been arrested by officers of Falta police station. The arrested person is accused of attempted murder and spreading political violence, the police said.

There have been multiple allegations against Saidul for a long time. One of them is an attempt to murder and an allegation of spreading political violence. On Friday night, the Falta police raided Saidul’s house to investigate the allegations and subsequently arrested him. So far, there has been no official reaction from the Trinamool Congress over the development.

On the instructions of the Election Commission, re-election in Falta will be held on May 21. Results will be announced on May 24 although there has already been a political shift in the state.

The BJP has come to power in the state by ousting the Trinamool Congress government.

New Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will hold an administrative meeting at Diamond Harbour later in the day. Then he will have a meeting to campaign for the repoll in Falta.

The Chief Minister is also scheduled to hold a roadshow in Falta on the last day of the campaign on May 19. In this atmosphere, after a long time, Jahangir Khan, the Trinamool candidate for that constituency, was seen in public in Falta on Friday.

He left his house in the morning and entered his party office in Serampore area. As soon as the BJP came to power in the state, the BJP workers vandalised Jahangir Khan’s party office and put up the BJP flag. Then on Friday, Jahangir went to his own party office.

Jahangir said, “Since the BJP came to power, the administration has been framing Trinamool leaders and workers in false cases every day with the help of the central forces, that is why I did not come out in public to maintain peace and order in the area. The police sent me back home, which is a lie. I was at home. I did not come out in public to avoid unrest as the administration is waging atrocities.”

It may be noted that during the Assembly elections, Khan had criticised Election Commission appointed police observer Ajay Pal Sharma after he was seen issuing threats to his family members and locals in Falta constituency in South 24 Parganas district’s Diamond Harbour.

The Trinamool Congress has raised questions about his authority in visiting the house of its party candidate and issuing threats.

A video went viral, showing him speaking in a warning tone to locals. The video was reportedly from near the residence of Jahangir Khan. Trinamool alleged that Sharma has been intimidating locals and conducting late-night searches. The ruling party even accuses him of inappropriate behaviour with women.

–IANS

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