Falta protest: Fresh charges on Jahangir’s wife; 15 arrests so far

Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:10:22 +0000 Extracted Body: The West Bengal Police have intensified their crackdown on Rejina Bibi, alias Sarina, the wife of arrested Trinamool Congress leader Jahangir Khan, slapping fresh charges against her under the Arms and Explosives Acts. The action comes on the heels of a stern public warning by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who declared that “no hooliganism will be tolerated.” With the arrest of seven more individuals, the total number of arrests in connection with the attack on the Falta police station has now climbed to 15. According to senior police sources, the attempt to storm the police station was a deeply premeditated conspiracy. “Our investigation reveals that a strategy meeting was chaired by Jahangir’s wife a day prior to the incident,” a senior officer stated. “The plan was to mobilize hundreds of supporters at a designated spot three kilometers away from the Falta police station, and then launch an organized assault to forcibly secure Jahangir Khan’s release.” The unrest originally triggered on Tuesday after the police paraded Jahangir Khan through the local streets with a rope tied around his waist. The public spectacle provoked a furious backlash from his loyalists, who blocked key roads demanding his immediate release. Allegedly under the leadership of his wife a massive crowd began marching to gherao surround the police station. Anticipating violence, the police and deployed central forces intercepted the protesters before they could breach the premises. “The accused (Khan) has been arrested, and his release can only be decided by the court. The protesters refused to listen to our orders and had to be removed. Police used mild force, and no one was injured. An FIR was lodged,” said an official. On Wednesday while ddressing the locals, the Chief Minister warned that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands. Adhikari strictly instructed the Superintendent of Police to identify all individuals captured in video footages of the agitation and register cases . Tension erupted in Falta on Tuesday after a group of people, led by Jahangir Khan’s wife, protested outside the local police station, demanding Khan’s release. Khan, who had dropped out of the Assembly elections days before repolling last month, was arrested on June 8 at Panitanki in Darjeeling district, bordering Nepal. Khan was wanted in several criminal cases, including kidnapping, extortion, and political violence, that were filed after the TMC lost power in the state. Since his arrest, police have been parading him on the streets of Falta with his hands tied.