Political News

The TMC on Sunday (April 5, 2026) accused the BJP of being involved in the unrest in West Bengal’s Malda district, where several judicial officers engaged in scrutiny of under-adjudication voters were gheraoed recently, and charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi with peddling falsehood on women’s safety issues. The ruling party’s comments came after the PM made the Malda gherao of judicial officers the centrepiece of the BJP’s campaign on alleged lawlessness in the state, claiming that it reflected the TMC’s “maha jungle raj”. He framed the Assembly polls as a battle between the “bhay” (fear) allegedly spread by the ruling TMC and the BJP’s “bharosa” (trust).

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken significant action in the Malda violence case, arresting three individuals, including Gulam Rabbani, a leader of the Indian Secular Front (ISF). Preliminary investigations have pointed towards a complex conspiracy and a premeditated assault. Two Congress workers, Shahdath Husaain and Asif Sheikh, have also been apprehended in connection with organizing a separate meeting to mobilize a crowd ahead of the attack. The anti-terror agency’s findings suggest the incident was a calculated move to create unrest. The standoff, fueled by mass deletions from the electoral rolls, led to thousands besieging government officials at Kaliachak-II. The Supreme Court’s directive prompted the Election Commission of India (ECI) to involve NIA, stressing the need for a central agency to investigate the ‘deliberate and calculated’ attack.

BJP Member of Parliament Biplab Kumar Deb criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, accusing her of disregarding the Supreme Court, High Court, and law and order in relation to the Malda hostage crisis. Deb described the incident as “very unfortunate” and attributed it to provocation by the Trinamool Congress (TMC). He stated, “They don’t understand the Supreme Court, nor the High Court, nor law and order, nor the dignity of the Chief Minister… The Election Commission is an independent body; it works as it deems fit, but I’m glad that Mamata Banerjee has now understood what the Model Code of Conduct is. The incident that happened in Malda is very unfortunate, and it happened due to their provocation. The Muslims of Bengal should decide that they will not vote for Mamata Banerjee, TMC.”

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has intensified its probe into the Malda gherao incident, making its first arrest in the case on Sunday, 12th April, by detaining Golam Rabbani, a panchayat member affiliated with the Indian Secular Front (ISF). The agency also picked up Congress candidate from the Mothabari Assembly constituency, Sayem Chowdhury (also referred to as Sayem Choudhury), along with his associates while he was campaigning in the Alinagar panchayat area. “We are questioning Chowdhury and verifying his involvement in the incident. If we get proper evidence against him, he will be arrested,” a senior NIA official stated.