Kolkata: The West Bengal Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Friday arrested advocate Mofakkarul Islam, described as the alleged mastermind behind the gherao of seven judicial officers in Malda district’s Kaliachak area.
He was detained at Bagdogra Airport near Siliguri while reportedly attempting to flee by boarding a flight.
Islam, a lawyer and former AIMIM candidate in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, is accused of being the primary instigator of the incident. He allegedly made inflammatory speeches during protests in Sujapur/Mothabari area.
Confirming that he was intercepted and detained while fleeing the state, Inspector General of Police, North Bengal, K Jayaraman said that 35 persons have so far been arrested for the violence. He added that people have a right to protest but they cannot resort to violence.
Gherao Inside BDO Office
The controversy erupted on Wednesday, April 1, during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. Protesters, angered by the large-scale deletion or placement under “adjudication” of voter names reportedly affecting around 1.35 lakh voters in the Sujapur area alone, surrounded seven judicial officers, including three women, inside the Kaliachak-II (or Mothabari) Block Development Officer’s (BDO) office. A five-year-old child of one of the officers was also present inside the office.
The officers were conducting quasi-judicial adjudication related to doubtful or deleted entries in the voter lists. Protesters blocked parts of National Highway 12 at multiple points, including in Sujapur, using bamboo poles and tyres, demanding the reinstatement of names and action against alleged arbitrary deletions. Similar protests occurred in other Muslim-majority areas of Malda district, which has a significant Muslim population.
Late at night, security forces, including state police and central paramilitary personnel, intervened. They used batons (lathi-charge) to disperse the crowd amid reports of stone-pelting and attacks on police vehicles or convoys. The officers were eventually rescued and evacuated safely after nine hours.
Strong Reaction from Supreme Court
The incident drew sharp criticism from the Supreme Court, which took suo motu cognizance and described it as a “pre-planned, calculated, and motivated” attempt to derail the electoral process and demoralise officials. The apex court called Bengal “the most polarised state, and pulled up the state administration for delays in providing security. “This incident is a brazen attempt not only to browbeat judicial officers but also challenges the authority of this court. We have never seen such a polarised state,” Chief Justice Surya Kant said.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar also expressed displeasure over the initial response. The Election Commission has handed over the investigation of the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to the people to avoid violence and claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was deliberately trying to create conditions that would lead to the imposition of President’s rule in the state.
