A National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Kolkata has sent 15 additional accused individuals, arrested by NIA officers, to 14 days of judicial custody. These arrests are related to the incident earlier this year where seven judicial officers were held hostage during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) phase in Mothabari, Malda district. The NIA conducted night-long operations leading to the arrests of these individuals from various locations in Malda district.
The arrested accused were brought to Kolkata by NIA sleuths and presented before a special court in the city. Following a brief hearing, the judge remanded them to 14 days of judicial custody. These arrests bring the total number of individuals detained in this case to 65. The judicial officers involved were appointed by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul of the Calcutta High Court and were tasked with addressing names on the judicial adjudication list during the SIR process.
Allegations of harassment were made against the seven judicial officers who were surrounded and held hostage by protesters at the Kaliachak-2 block office during the SIR exercise. The Election Commission of India handed over the investigation to the NIA following a Supreme Court order. The NIA, taking over from the CID, has been identifying and apprehending the accused individuals. The Supreme Court has directed the NIA to expedite the investigation, with the NIA submitting a status report on May 11.
