Trinamool leader Jahangir 'Pushpa' caught near Nepal border over EVM tampering claims
PTC Web Desk: A Trinamool Congress leader from South 24 Parganas has been arrested by Bengal's Special Task Force near the Nepal border, weeks after going into hiding following multiple FIRs against him. The accused, identified as Jahangir, faces charges of tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during polling in the South 24 Parganas constituency.
Complaints allege he applied tape over BJP symbols on the EVMs. The Election Commission subsequently ordered repolling in the Falta Assembly seat after the irregularities came to light post-results. The Calcutta High Court, which had earlier granted Jahangir interim protection from arrest, withdrew the relief in the days preceding his arrest, leaving him legally exposed.
STF teams moved in shortly after, tracking him down near the Nepal border.
Jahangir had remained defiant during his weeks on the run, adopting the self-styled moniker 'Pushpa' — a reference to the popular film character — as a pointed challenge to police observer Ajay Pal Sharma, who is commonly referred to as 'Singham'. The gesture was widely seen as a deliberate attempt to mock law enforcement.
His arrest brought that defiance to an end.
- With inputs from agencies
