New Delhi: The Election Commission on Thursday roped in the CBI after seven judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls were allegedly held hostage in Malda district of West Bengal.
The move came after the Supreme Court criticised the Mamata Banerjee-led government over the incident and ordered a probe by a central agency.
What happened in malda
The incident took place in the Kaliachak area, where the officers were surrounded at a BDO office from around 3:30 pm on Wednesday.
According to officials, the gherao followed allegations of large-scale deletion of names from the voter list, which protesters claimed affected their voting rights.
The officers remained trapped for several hours before security forces rescued them around midnight.
Protests were also reported in Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar over the SIR exercise.
Supreme Court response
The Supreme Court termed the situation a “complete failure” of the state administration and described the gherao and attack as “deplorable”.
The court also referred to poll-bound West Bengal as the “most polarised” state and directed the Election Commission to deploy adequate central forces at all locations where judicial officers are handling objections.
Arrests and investigation
Police have arrested 18 people so far in connection with the Kaliachak incident. Efforts are ongoing to identify and trace other individuals involved.
The Election Commission has now handed over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation following the court’s direction.
Political reactions
The incident has led to a sharp political exchange between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the violence and gherao were “planned and organised” by the TMC under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. He claimed that the incident was orchestrated from the “top level” of the party in Kolkata and carried out locally by leader Sabina Yasmin.
Mamata Banerjee rejected the allegations and blamed the Election Commission for failing to ensure the safety of the officers. She also accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of interfering in the state’s administration.
“Everything is Shah’s conspiracy, I demand his resignation,” she said.