Suvendu Adhikari; Jahangir Khan

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Jahangir Khan on Monday moved the Calcutta high court seeking protection from any coercive action by the West Bengal Police, alleging that criminal cases were being repeatedly filed against him.The plea came two days after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari warned that he would personally handle the case of “Pushpa,” a reference to Khan.Also Read | ‘Pushpa now my responsibility’: West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari warns TMC strongman Jahangir Khan ahead of Falta repollingMoving the court of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya and seeking an urgent hearing, Khan’s counsel Kishore Dutta prayed for disclosure of all FIRs registered against his client, along with protection from coercive action.Justice Bhattacharyya said he would hear the matter later in the day.Dutta, a former Advocate General of West Bengal, submitted before the court that Khan is a candidate from the Falta assembly constituency, where a repoll is scheduled for Thursday, with votes to be counted on Sunday.Polling in Falta, in South 24 Parganas district, was countermanded due to large-scale irregularities on April 29, the day of the second and final phase of polling in the state. The first phase polling was held on April 23.Addressing BJP workers in Falta on May 16, Adhikari, a former Trinamool leader under whom the BJP won West Bengal for the first time, ousting the TMC after the Mamata Banerjee-led party’s 15-year rule, had warned Khan without naming him.“He (Khan) is a designated most notorious criminal and I will personally handle his case. So-called Pushpa is my responsibility now,” Adhikari told BJP workers. The chief minister also urged Falta voters to ensure a victory margin of over one lakh votes for the BJP candidate.In the run-up to the assembly elections, Khan, the Trinamool strongman, had referred to himself as “Pushpa” — the smuggler-turned-strongman character played by Allu Arjun in the two “Pushpa” films.The remark came in response to Uttar Pradesh-cadre IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, appointed by the Election Commission as a police observer in West Bengal, being likened to the “Singham” character portrayed by Ajay Devgn in the “Singham” film franchise. In a viral video, Sharma was seen warning Khan’s family, prompting the TMC candidate’s response.(With PTI inputs)