Overview
- Israfil Chakdar, a close aide to TMC leader Jahangir Khan, was arrested late Wednesday by West Bengal Police and faces charges of extortion, intimidation and assault; he is to be produced before the Diamond Harbour court.
- Local women in Hashim Nagar had accused Chakdar and his associates of preventing voting on April 29, confining residents to their homes and assaulting or molesting some women, which triggered road block protests demanding arrests.
- The Election Commission cancelled the April 29 Falta poll after complaints and ordered a full repoll on May 21, when BJP candidate Debangshu Panda won by about 109,000 votes and Jahangir Khan lost his deposit.
- The Calcutta High Court has withdrawn legal protection for Jahangir Khan and ordered him to cooperate with investigations, while police say Khan has been unaccounted for since before the repoll.
- Police had earlier detained another TMC-linked figure, Nasir Sheikh, over alleged extortion of factory workers in the Falta SEZ and the new arrests raise the likelihood of expanded probes into local political networks and worker safety.