The South 24 Parganas district administration began demolishing a house allegedly constructed without authorisation by former Trinamool Congress MLA Jahangir Khan in Falta on Wednesday, following an inquiry, multiple notices and permission from a court to remove the structure.
The operation began at about 8.30 am in the Srirampur area of Falta in the presence of the local Block Development Officer, police personnel and fire department officials, according to officials cited by PTI. Police were deployed in large numbers to maintain law and order during the demolition.
Because the house is located in a congested area that cannot be accessed by bulldozers, officials first removed household belongings and furniture from the building. That exercise continued until about 1 pm, after which workers began dismantling the structure with small hand tools, an official said.
The district administration had earlier issued several notices to Khan over the alleged unauthorised construction. Complaints were submitted seeking an investigation into whether the house, which is more than two floors high, had been built in accordance with applicable rules. Under the norms cited in the report, approval from the zilla parishad is generally required for building plans involving structures taller than two floors.
The complaints led the district administration to initiate an inquiry, and the matter subsequently reached court. The administration began the demolition after the court granted permission to remove the allegedly illegal construction. Officials reportedly summoned Khan for hearings and sent him several notices, but he did not appear, according to the report.
A further notice directed him to demolish the unauthorised portion of the house within seven days. The administration moved ahead with the demolition after the order was not complied with.
The action has also raised questions about enforcement against other unauthorised structures in the area. Falta BJP MLA Debanshu Panda alleged that several such buildings had come up locally and claimed that some constructions were built after wetlands were filled. He said the administration should act against all illegal constructions rather than limit the operation to Khan’s house. These allegations were not independently established in the report.
The demolition comes amid wider political developments involving Khan. He was arrested near the India-Nepal border in north Bengal on June 8 after being booked under various charges, including extortion. During the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election campaign, Khan had projected himself as ‘Pushpa’, referring to the protagonist of the Telugu film franchise. After the Trinamool Congress suffered a defeat in the polls, the Election Commission ordered a re-election in Falta. Khan later withdrew from the contest, and the seat was won by a BJP candidate by a large margin.
The district administration’s operation is continuing with manual tools because of the site’s congested setting. Officials and police remain present as the structure is dismantled.
