West Bengal Police on Friday arrested AIMIM leader Mofakkarul Islam, accused of leading the Malda protests that resulted in seven Special Intensive Revision, SIR, officers being gheraoed for over nine hours.
Islam, a lawyer by profession and AIMIM's candidate from Itahar in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, is being described as the alleged mastermind behind the incident. He was arrested at Bagdogra Airport while reportedly attempting to flee the state.
Islam is accused of playing a key role in the incident where seven judicial officers, including three women, were gheraoed and held hostage for over nine hours at the Kaliachak-II BDO office in Malda during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The arrest comes amid an intensified crackdown, with police having already arrested 18 individuals, including Indian Secular Front, ISF, candidate Moulana Shahjahan Ali, in connection with the case.
The probe has now been taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), following directions from the Election Commission of India, highlighting the gravity of the situation in poll-bound West Bengal.
The incident dates back to Wednesday, when judicial officers deployed as part of the Supreme Court-mandated SIR process faced protests over alleged large-scale deletions from voter lists.
The officers were verifying voter documents related to pending cases when they were surrounded by a large group of protesters.
According to allegations, the officers were held without food or water for hours as tensions escalated, with protesters blocking roads and paralysing normal life across multiple Assembly constituencies in Malda.
The situation drew sharp criticism from the Supreme Court, which termed the incident a "brazen attempt" to browbeat judicial officers and a direct challenge to the authority of the apex court.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant observed that the episode exposed a "complete failure" of the state's civil and police administration in ensuring the safety of judicial officials.
The court also expressed concern over the fact that three of the detained officers were women.
Following the incident, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar pulled up the Malda Superintendent of Police for his "lackadaisical" approach in handling the situation and directed immediate action against those involved.
Meanwhile, protests have continued in parts of Malda, with thousands of people taking to the streets, alleging that their names were missing from the electoral rolls.
Road blockades, including on National Highway 12, led to severe traffic disruptions and heightened tensions across the district.
The developments have also triggered a political storm ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, with opposition leaders questioning the state government over law and order, while the ruling Trinamool Congress has accused central agencies and the Election Commission of interference.
With the arrest of a key accused and the NIA stepping up its probe, the Malda hostage case has evolved into a major law and order and political flashpoint, with investigations now focused on uncovering the larger conspiracy behind the incident.
Leader of Opposition in the state, Suvendu Adhikari launched a scathing attack on Mamata Banerjee's machinery and demanded strong action against the perpetrators of the violence. Watch the video below: