Police ‘reconstruct crime’, ‘Pushpa’ walks in shorts

Falta: Trinamool functionary and Falta candidate Jahangir Khan, who was nicknamed ‘Pushpa’ during the assembly election, was paraded through the Falta and Saharahat areas of South 24 Parganas in Bermudas and a T-shirt by the Diamond Harbour Police on Thursday.

Khan was arrested on Monday after being on the run for two weeks and charged with extortion and other charges.

In videos that surfaced, Khan, wearing a T-shirt and Bermuda, was seen walking through Falta and Saharahat with helmet-clad police officers and central forces.

The Diamond Harbour Police sources said Khan was taken for the purpose of identifying the crime spots and areas where he hid his ill-gotten money. “We also wanted to reconstruct the crime,” claimed a senior cop.

Khan was arrested near the India-Nepal border in north Bengal’s Panitanki area on Monday. A court in Diamond Harbour had earlier remanded Khan in five days of police custody. Currently, Khan faces at least seven active FIRs at the Falta PS, including extortion, post-poll violence dating back to 2021, and atrocities against local communities.

On Thursday, cops stated they ensured that there was no “egg attack” or any form of violence around Khan. This was after incidents last Monday when the news of ‘Pushpa’s’ arrest flashed across television screens led to targeted fury around Khan’s office and residence. Enraged locals and youth groups marched to Khan’s party office, breaking the locks with hammers and forcing open the shutters.

The parading of those arrested has already led to the Calcutta High Court’s vacation bench directing the police to file a detailed report in cases where the accused persons were striped, head forcefully shaven and paraded with rope around their waist. The bench observed that no accused person can be defamed in such a manner. The Diamond Harbour police said they have followed the HC directive.

Khan had just 48 hours before the May 21 repoll suddenly announced his withdrawal from the race. He had disappeared thereafter.

Despite his eleventh-hour withdrawal, Khan’s name and the TMC symbol remained on the EVMs. The election resulted in a humiliating disaster for the neta; the BJP won the seat by a landslide margin of around 1.1 lakh votes, while the CPI(M) secured the second position. Khan finished a dismal fourth, managing a paltry 7,783 votes.

(With inputs from Srishti Lakhotia)