West Bengal Malda Incident: 7 judicial officers were held hostage for 9 hours during voter list correction in Malda, West Bengal. Taking a strict stance, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the state government. Know the whole matter and political turmoil.
A news from Malda, West Bengal has shocked the entire country. Normally we consider work like elections or voter list correction as a simple administrative process, but this time the matter escalated so much that the judicial officers themselves were surrounded by the crowd. The question is not just about one incident, but whether the judicial process of the country is safe now?
What happened in Malda?
The matter is of Kaliachak-II block of Malda district of West Bengal. Here, on the orders of the Supreme Court, the work of investigation and correction of the voter list (Special Intensive Revision – SIR) was going on. The responsibility of this work was given to seven judicial officers, including three women.
On April 1, between 2 and 3 pm, suddenly an angry mob surrounded the office. Within no time the situation worsened so much that the officers were taken hostage inside. These officers remained stuck there for about 9 hours. According to reports, they neither got food nor water.
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How bad did the situation get?
The situation was not limited to just taking hostages.
- The crowd blocked National Highway-12
- Police could not control the situation till late night
- When the officers were evacuated, their vehicles were also pelted with stones.
Finally, at around 1 am in the night, all the officers were evacuated safely with the help of heavy police force.
Supreme Court’s strict stance
The Supreme Court has taken strict cognizance of this entire matter. The bench led by the Chief Justice described it as not just an incident but a “well-planned conspiracy” to stall the judicial process.
The court said:
- Notice issued to state Chief Secretary and DGP
- Raised questions on the role of administration
- Said to hand over the investigation to CBI or NIA
This is a clear indication that the matter has now become not just of the state but of the national level.
conflict in politics
After this incident, political rhetoric has intensified. Gaurav Bhatia said that in independent India it has rarely happened that the legal process was stopped even after the order of the Supreme Court. Taking aim at TMC, Smriti Irani said that “violence and TMC have now become synonymous with each other.” Ravi Kishan claimed that there has been continuous violence against BJP workers in Bengal and security is not provided.
What is TMC saying on the other side?
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has rejected these allegations. The party says that efforts are being made to “deliberately remove the names of a particular category of people” from the voter list, due to which people are angry.
This incident of Malda is not limited to just one district. This has emerged as a big question on the country’s justice system, election process and law and order. Now everyone’s eyes are on the next action of the Supreme Court and the decision of the investigating agency.
Also read: “This time Mamata Banerjee will lose in entire Bengal…”, roared Amit Shah from Kolkata.