The South 24-Parganas district administration began demolishing a mansion in Srirampur, Falta, on Wednesday after its jailed owner, former Trinamool Congress MLA Jahangir Khan, allegedly failed to comply with a demolition notice concerning unauthorised construction and land-related violations.
A large police contingent cordoned off the property as officials led by Falta block development officer Sandeep Singh Roy and the local officer-in-charge arrived at the site. Administrative staff first removed furniture and household items before workers began dismantling the building with hand-held tools. No member of Khan’s family was present during the operation, according to The Telegraph.
The district administration had issued the demolition notice on November 2 and provided a seven-day deadline for compliance. Administrative sources said Khan did not appoint a legal representative to attend any of the seven hearings held in connection with the property before the notice was issued. Officials at the site declined to comment, saying they were executing an administrative order.
The action relates to the Srirampur property and is separate from allegations concerning electoral malpractice in the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency. The building was reportedly constructed on encroached land and allegedly breached several building regulations, including permissible height limits. Complaints also alleged that adjoining plots were forcibly occupied during construction.
Chiranjit Halder, a local resident, alleged that portions of the land beneath the building remained recorded in the names of neighbouring landowners and included property dedicated to a deity. He also alleged that residents faced intimidation when opposing Khan’s activities. These claims were reported by The Telegraph and were not independently verified in the material available for this report.
BJP leader Bidhan Parui, whose complaint prompted the administrative action, alleged that Khan had used bulldozers to demolish houses belonging to BJP workers after the 2021 Assembly polls. Parui said he had approached the administration for an inquiry into properties allegedly developed through land grabbing and violations of building rules. He also said Khan did not send a representative to the hearings or comply with the demolition notice.
Khan became a prominent political figure in Falta and was known for invoking the film character Pushpa during his Assembly campaign. Following the BJP’s electoral victory in Bengal and allegations related to the Falta Assembly repoll, he withdrew from the contest and went into hiding. He was arrested near the Nepal border in early June after the Calcutta High Court declined to extend interim protection in five first information reports.
The demolition brings together several administrative questions: how land records were examined, how alleged building violations were assessed, and whether due-process requirements were fulfilled before the order was executed. The district administration’s action followed the stated sequence of hearings, a written notice and a seven-day compliance period. Further details of the demolition order and the final extent of the structure removed were not available in the supplied report.
