Kolkata, 20 June

The wife of TMC leader Jahangir Khan was arrested on Saturday for allegedly masterminding a violent attempt to free him from police custody and leading an attack on the Falta police station earlier this month, officials said.

Regina Bibi, who had been absconding since the incident, was arrested from the Julpia area in South 24 Parganas district following a tip-off, they said.

According to police, she played a key role in mobilising supporters and planning the agitation that allegedly sought to secure the release of the TMC's Falta repoll candidate Jahangir Khan, who was arrested in multiple criminal cases after being tracked down near the Nepal border.

"She was one of the principal conspirators behind the mobilisation of people and the subsequent attack on the police station. Several serious charges, including provisions of the Arms Act and Explosives Act, have been invoked against her," a senior police officer said.

Investigators alleged that a meeting was held under her leadership a day before the violence, during which plans were drawn up to assemble supporters at a location around 3 km from the police station before marching towards the facility in an organised manner.

The objective, police claimed, was to forcibly free Khan from custody.

The situation turned violent when protesters allegedly vandalised police vehicles and attempted to storm the police station premises. Central forces were later deployed to disperse the crowd.

Several participants fled after security personnel launched a baton charge, with some allegedly jumping into a nearby pond to evade arrest, police sources said.

So far, 25 people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Khan, who had projected himself as 'Pushpa' -- a reference to the protagonist of the popular Telugu film franchise -- during the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election campaign, had claimed he would never "bow down" under pressure.

However, after the Trinamool Congress suffered a crushing defeat in the assembly polls, the Election Commission ordered a re-election in Falta.

Khan subsequently withdrew from the contest, and the seat was eventually won by a BJP candidate by a large margin. Khan finished fourth in the race.

His arrest earlier this month had triggered controversy after police paraded Khan, wearing shorts with a rope tied around his waist, through parts of Falta, drawing criticism from his supporters and setting the stage for the subsequent protests led by his wife.

The arrest of Regina Bibi comes amid the BJP government's ongoing crackdown on alleged criminal networks and political strongmen in parts of the state following its victory in the May assembly elections.

During a public outreach programme in Falta on Wednesday, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had warned that the government would not tolerate "hooliganism or militancy" and directed police to initiate stringent legal action against those involved in the attack on the police station.

Police said Regina Bibi would be produced before a court and questioned to ascertain whether any larger criminal or political network had aided the mobilisation and the alleged attempt to free Khan from custody.