NIA arrests 15 over road blockades linked to Bengal voter roll revision

The NIA arrested 15 people in connection with road blockades and the alleged detention of judicial officers during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal. The incidents in Malda district had triggered political controversy ahead of the Assembly elections

Kolkata/New Delhi: The NIA has arrested 15 protesters in connection with last month’s road blockades and the alleged illegal detention of judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, officials said on Tuesday.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which took over the investigation on the Election Commission of India’s direction after the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the incidents, conducted extensive searches in Malda district on Monday.

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A total of 15 people were apprehended for their involvement in road blockades and the illegal confinement of judicial officers in two separate cases, the agency said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

In one case, 12 individuals, including the main accused, Joshim Sk and Asmaul Sk, were arrested for detaining a woman judicial officer for around eight hours on the Haibatola-Amlitola road, it said.

Three others, Alamgir Sk, Nurul Islam and Habibur Rahman, were arrested in connection with the blockade of Bagmara Bridge in Mothabari block, the anti-terror agency said.

According to officials, seven judicial officers were held hostage inside the BDO office in Mothabari, while an eighth officer was confined inside a vehicle on April 1 after a large crowd protesting the deletion of names from voters’ lists turned violent, blocked roads, vandalised vehicles and attacked police personnel.

These judicial officers were deputed for the SIR of the electoral rolls. They were rescued by security forces late in the night, triggering a political furore in the state ahead of the Assembly polls.

Investigations to trace others involved in the incidents are in progress, the NIA said, adding that it was trying to uncover the larger conspiracy behind the coordinated blockades and detentions.