The Calcutta High Court on Friday asked for video footage of the demolition and put a stay on the demolition of illegal portions of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Jahangir Khan’s house until Monday afternoon. The court of Justice Suvra Ghosh also asked for a copy of the notice served by the state administration. Khan’s counsel argued that the arrested leader’s family was not served a notice before the demolition began. The state administration maintains that seven notices were issued to Khan and no one from their side appeared for hearing, leading to demolition of the illegal portions of the house. Khan’s wife is behind bars too.
The court asked Khan’s counsel to present the sanctioned building plan, with his counsel responding saying the building plan was stolen. The court questioned why no formal police complaint was filed.
Khan, nicknamed ‘Pushpa’, pulled out from the repoll contest in 285 polling booths in May, with the BJP winning the TMC seat. Khan was arrested in June from the India-Nepal border on charges of extortion, murder, land grabbing, sexual assault, hoarding and selling government relief material. On Wednesday and Thursday, the South 24 Parganas district administration demolished portions of Khan’s house that were said to be illegal.
Around 8.30am on Wednesday, Block Development Officer (BDO) and state fire department worked towards demolishing two storeys that were illegal. Police personnel were also present in larger numbers were present to maintain law and order.
Khan’s video proclaiming himself as ‘Pushpa’ showed him throwing an open challenge at IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, also an election observer. The challenge was over voter intimidation and questioning heavy police deployment at Khan’s house, the TMC candidate.
Other local TMC heavyweights
Apart from Khan, Shahjahan Sheikh and Saokat Mollah are names that became known and feared as the local heavyweights in pockets of the largest assembly constituencies in West Bengal, North and South 24 Parganas districts. Close to the erstwhile Trinamool Congress (TMC) ruling establishment, Khan from Falta was seen as close to Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday stated demolition of Khan’s house was just the beginning on cracking open land grabbing and illegal construction activities of former TMC heavyweights. Adhikari’s statement indicated the possibility of Shahjahan’s fish market in Sarberia in North 24 Parganas could be the next target. The fish market was part of Shahjahan’s wide spread commercial fish trading network.
Shahjahan, who was accused of land grabbing and sexually assaulting women in Sandeshkhali, was arrested in February 2024 after being on the run for more than a month. His arrest followed a mob attack of his supporters on Enforcement Directorate (ED), raiding Shahjahan’s residence and attempting to question him in corruption allegations related to former Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick. Shahjahan escaped the police amidst the commotion.
Former TMC MLA Saokat Mollah was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in June while heading towards the Bangladesh border. The arrest was in connection with the Bhangar crude bomb blast in March ahead of West Bengal assembly elections. Mollah was named the key conspirator by the NIA for orchestrating the manufacture of explosives and tampering with evidence.
In July, a cafe owned by son Imran Mollah was demolished for being built on an encroached sandbank of the Malta river. A notice was served seven days before the demolition drive by the district administration and while furniture inside the cafe was removed, the illegal structure outside remained, leading to the demolition.
