The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested Congress leader Sayem Chowdhury for his alleged involvement in the harassment of judges conducting Special Intensive Revision (SIR) work in West Bengal’s Malda district. Chowdhury, a former Congress candidate from Mothabari Assembly constituency, was apprehended after extensive interrogation at the NIA’s Kolkata office. The incident relates to the blockade of the Block Development Office (BDO) in Mothabari in April, where seven judges on SIR duties were reportedly confined and their vehicles attacked before the Assembly elections.
Officials from the NIA suspect that Chowdhury, also known as Babu Chowdhury, played a significant role in orchestrating the blockade. They have acquired video evidence showing him making inflammatory statements against the SIR process and judicial officers. Additionally, the agency believes he was involved in the assault on the judges’ vehicles as they left the BDO premises. To date, 72 individuals have been arrested in connection with the case, and charges have been filed against 31 of them.
Earlier, the NIA had taken into custody Indian Secular Front (ISF) candidate Shahjahan Ali Qadri, who was subsequently charged. Another ISF leader, Golam Rabbani, was also arrested in relation to the incident. Sources revealed that Chowdhury was previously interrogated by investigators when the NIA assumed control of the case in April, but he was not detained then due to insufficient evidence. However, new evidence emerged later, leading to his arrest in Kolkata.
The NIA has affirmed its commitment to uncovering all individuals involved in the alleged pre-election violence and broader conspiracy. The agency is actively investigating multiple instances of mob protests and unlawful detention of judicial officers during the SIR exercise for electoral rolls in Malda district before the state’s Assembly polls.
