NIA arrests Malda leader in SIR-linked judicial officers’ detention case

New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) A local leader from West Bengal’s Malda district has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a case linked to the pre-poll SIR-related mob blockades, violence and detention of judicial officers that took place in April, officials said on Thursday.

The arrested individual, Sayem Chowdhary alias Babu Chowdhary, is a resident of Mothbari in Malda. He was taken into custody by an NIA team after he was questioned at the agency’s branch office in Kolkata.

According to the officials, a total of 30 accused have so far been arrested by NIA in the instant case, RC-14/2026/NIA/DLI.

NIA is investigating over a dozen cases of mob protests and illegal detention of judicial officers during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls in the Malda district ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.

The NIA investigations revealed that Sayem Chowdhary was a key accused involved in the illegal detention of judicial officers at the BDO Office Block-II on April 1.

“He was part of the mob that had indulged in the disruption of law and order and carried out attacks on police personnel engaged in official duty. Nine police personnel were injured in the attacks,” officials stated.

According to the investigators, the accused had delivered a speech in front of the BDO office a day before the incident to instigate people to engage in violent protests.

The officials mentioned that Chowdhary had conspired with other co-accused persons and participated actively in the unlawful assemblies that resorted to violence, intimidation, and obstruction during the SIR exercise.

The NIA stated that it is continuing with its probe to identify and track all accused involved in the various cases as part of the bigger conspiracy behind the large-scale pre-poll violence.

The agency had initiated a probe into the cases on the directives of the Supreme Court that had taken suo motu cognisance of April’s violence in Malda.

–IANS

sd/skp