Watch: Jahangir 'Pushpa' Khan's wife leads Falta crowd to police station demanding his release; chaos prevails
Times of India | 17 June 2026
FALTA: Around 400 supporters of Trinamool’s Falta candidate Jahangir ‘Pushpa’ Khan, angered by police making him walk in public wearing Bermuda shorts and by an AI-generated image of the strongman being forced to do sit-ups while holding his ears, blocked a road on Tuesday demanding his release.
The protesters, led by Khan’s wife Sarina, also marched to Falta police station to protest alleged torture by cops.
Police and central forces baton-charged and chased away the protesters, prompting many of them to dive into ponds to escape.
CM Suvendu Adhikari is scheduled to visit Falta on Wednesday to attend a Jan Kalyan Shivir.
ADG (South Bengal) Rakesh Singh said police used mild force after the protesters refused to leave. “He (Khan) has been arrested. The issue of release can only be dealt with by court. They did not listen to us and had to be removed. None was injured. An FIR has been lodged,” Singh told TOI.
Khan, who police said had been absconding, was arrested on June 8 near the India-Nepal border in Darjeeling district on charges of extortion and violence.
The Abhishek Banerjee aide shot into limelight in the run-up to the assembly polls when he likened himself to ‘Pushpa’, following a face-off with a police officer nicknamed ‘Singham’. EC countermanded the April 29 poll in Falta following complaints of electoral malpractice and ordered a repoll, which BJP won by a margin of more than 1 lakh votes.
A little after noon on Tuesday, a group of woman protesters, led by Jahangir’s wife and backed by hundreds of men, blocked a road in Falta’s Mullikpur, demanding Khan’s release. They said the manner in which Khan was paraded in public — wearing shorts and with a rope tied around his waist — violated his basic human dignity.
Police said the blockade, which continued for an hour, caused traffic congestion. A large contingent from Falta police station was sent to the spot.
Central forces were deployed, too. An attempt to remove the blockade led to an argument between the protesters and the security forces. The forces then resorted to a round of baton-charge to disperse the crowd.
Falta MLA Debangshu Panda said that women, joined by supporters from Budge Budge and Metiabruz, gathered outside the police station to demand Khan’s release.
Videos surfaced on social media showing central force personnel advancing towards the crowd with batons, following which the protesters dispersed.
Many were also seen leaping into water bodies to avoid being struck by batons. Others ran into houses and shops.