Falta extortion case: Trinamool panchayat chief Israfil Chakdar arrested, Jahangir Khan missing
Synopsis
Two Trinamool Congress leaders close to Jahangir Khan have been arrested in Falta within days — one for blocking women from voting, one for extorting factory workers. Khan himself, whose legal protection the Calcutta High Court has withdrawn, has been missing since the eve of the re-election his party lost by over one lakh votes.
Key Takeaways
Israfil Chakdar , Trinamool panchayat chief of Banganagar II , arrested on 28 May on charges of extortion, intimidation, and assault.
Women in Hasimnagar alleged Chakdar -led miscreants blocked them from voting on 29 April ; protests forced the Election Commission to cancel the Falta election and order a re-poll.
BJP candidate Debangshu Panda won the 21 May re-election by over one lakh votes ; Trinamool's Jahangir Khan finished fourth with his deposit forfeited.
Nasir Sheikh , another Trinamool figure close to Khan , was arrested earlier this week for extorting workers at the Falta Special Economic Zone .
The Calcutta High Court has withdrawn Jahangir Khan's legal protection and ordered him to cooperate with investigators; he has been missing since before the re-election.
Israfil Chakdar, the Trinamool Congress chief of Banganagar II Gram Panchayat and a close associate of Trinamool Congress leader Jahangir Khan, was arrested late on Wednesday night from Hasimnagar in the Falta police station area of South 24 Parganas. Police confirmed on Thursday, 29 May that he faces multiple charges including extortion, intimidation, and assault.
Background: Voting Blocked, Women Protest
The arrest follows a wave of unrest in Banganagar II Gram Panchayat that erupted after the Assembly elections on 29 April. Local women staged two consecutive days of protests in Hasimnagar, blocking roads entirely, alleging that Trinamool-backed miscreants led by Chakdar had prevented them from casting their votes. Protesters further accused Chakdar of physically assaulting and molesting women on polling day.
Their demands triggered a formal review. The Election Commission of India (ECI) subsequently cancelled the Falta election results entirely, citing multiple complaints, and ordered a re-election across the entire Falta Assembly constituency on 21 May.
Re-election Result and Jahangir Khan's Collapse
The re-election proved decisive. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Debangshu Panda won by a margin of over one lakh votes. Trinamool candidate Jahangir Khan finished fourth, his deposit forfeited — a stinging repudiation following the controversy.
Following the results, police launched a search for Chakdar. He was arrested on Wednesday night and is scheduled to be produced before the Diamond Harbour Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) court on Thursday.
Second Trinamool Arrest in Days: Nasir Sheikh
This is the second arrest of a Trinamool-linked figure close to Jahangir Khan within days. Earlier this week, Nasir Sheikh — a leader of the Trinamool workers' organisation — was detained and subsequently arrested by the Ramnagar police station after workers at a factory in the Falta Special Economic Zone (SEZ) erupted in protest against him.
Sheikh is accused of extorting money from factory workers, depriving them of fair wages, and allegedly arranging the illegal dismissal of workers who refused to pay. Workers surrounded him on Tuesday, prompting police to intervene, detain, and interrogate him before formalising the arrest.
Jahangir Khan: Court Order, No Protection, Still Missing
Scrutiny is now squarely on Jahangir Khan himself. The Calcutta High Court has already withdrawn his legal protection, and a court order has directed him to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. However, according to reports, Khan has been missing since the day before the 21 May re-election and has not surfaced since.
With two close associates arrested in quick succession and the court closing in, the question of whether Jahangir Khan will face arrest next is rapidly moving from speculation to legal inevitability.
Point of View
A forfeited deposit, and a fugitive leader — the Falta sequence is a rare instance where electoral accountability and criminal accountability have moved in lockstep. What stands out is the Election Commission's willingness to cancel an entire constituency's result on the basis of voter suppression complaints, a step it takes sparingly. The Calcutta High Court's withdrawal of Jahangir Khan's protection signals that institutional cover for political violence in West Bengal is thinning, at least in this case. Whether the arrests of foot soldiers lead to the principal — or whether Khan surfaces only after a negotiated legal arrangement — will be the real test of how far accountability actually reaches.
NationPress
13 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Israfil Chakdar and why was he arrested?
Israfil Chakdar is the Trinamool Congress chief of Banganagar II Gram Panchayat in South 24 Parganas. He was arrested late on 28 May on charges of extortion, intimidation, and assault, following allegations that he led a group that blocked women from voting during the 29 April Assembly election.
Why was the Falta Assembly election cancelled and re-held?
The Election Commission of India cancelled the original Falta election result after multiple complaints, including protests by local women who alleged they were prevented from voting and physically assaulted. A re-election was held across the entire Falta constituency on 21 May.
What happened in the Falta re-election?
BJP candidate Debangshu Panda won the 21 May re-election by a margin of over one lakh votes. Trinamool Congress candidate Jahangir Khan finished fourth and lost his deposit.
Who is Nasir Sheikh and what is he accused of?
Nasir Sheikh is a leader of the Trinamool Congress workers' organisation and a close associate of Jahangir Khan. He was arrested after workers at a factory in the Falta Special Economic Zone accused him of extortion, deprivation of fair wages, and arranging the illegal dismissal of workers who refused to pay.
Where is Jahangir Khan and what is his legal status?
Jahangir Khan has been missing since the day before the 21 May re-election. The Calcutta High Court has withdrawn his legal protection and issued an order directing him to cooperate with the investigation into the Falta voter suppression and extortion cases.
