The South 24 Parganas administration began demolishing the unauthorised portion of former Trinamool Congress MLA Jahangir Khan’s house in Srirampur, Falta, on Wednesday after securing court approval for the action. The demolition follows seven notices issued to Khan over allegations that the building exceeded two storeys without approval from the district council.
The operation began at about 8.30am under the supervision of Block Development Officer Sandip Singh Roy. Fire department personnel and a large police contingent were deployed at the site to maintain law and order during the action.
According to the administration, Khan was summoned for hearings and was given seven days to remove the unauthorised structure. Officials said he did not appear or carry out the required removal, leading the administration to proceed after obtaining the court’s approval.
The building’s location in a narrow lane created an operational difficulty because bulldozers could not access the site. Officials first broke open the locked main gate and removed furniture and household belongings until about 1pm. Workers then began dismantling the structure using heavy vibrating machinery on the rooftop and hand tools.
The action comes amid a wider investigation into Khan’s assets and an extortion case. Khan was arrested near the India-Nepal border in north Bengal on June 8 on charges including extortion. He and his wife are in judicial custody, while the investigation into their assets continues, according to the report.
The demolition also follows political changes in Falta. During the 2026 Assembly election campaign, Khan had invoked the protagonist of the film ‘Pushpa’ while claiming that he would not bow to pressure. The Election Commission later ordered a re-poll in Falta. Khan withdrew from the contest, and a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate won the seat.
Falta BJP MLA Debangshu Panda has called for wider action against illegal construction in the area. He alleged that several unauthorised structures had been built on filled-up water bodies and claimed that Khan and his wife held registration deeds for around 200 properties, including five or six other houses on occupied vested land. He sought a comprehensive investigation into the source of those assets. These allegations were reported but were not independently established in the supplied material.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh declined to comment on the broader allegations. On the demolition, he said that if any illegality had occurred in removing the building, Khan and his lawyers could take appropriate action. The administration’s demolition operation was continuing at the site after the removal of household belongings.
