The seven judicial officers who were held hostage by a mob in the Malda district of West Bengal on April 1, 2026, had reportedly written to the Malda District Magistrate expressing concerns about their security. As per a report in The Indian Express, four judicial officers had written a letter dated March 23, 2026, to District Magistrate Rajanvir Singh Kapoor, seeking relocation of their office.
In the letter routed through the District Judge, the judicial officers pointed out that, as the date of the publication of the supplementary voter list was approaching, the environment at the BDO office in the Muslim-dominated Kaliachak-II constituency was becoming “increasingly sensitive”. The judicial officers reportedly expressed fears of “breach of duty” by “disgruntled local elements” whose names had been removed from the list during the SIR.
The officers also highlighted infrastructural flaws in the Kaliachak-II BDO office, including insufficient workspace and “lack of adequate and hygienic washroom facilities”, particularly for the three women among the seven officers. They also informed the DM that five of them were residing in Malda town, around 54 km away. It took them nearly two hours to commute to the BDO office, which, apart from being exhausting, was draining public resources as security escorts and pilot vehicles had to be deployed. The judicial officers requested the DM to shift their workplace to the town, preferably within or close to the DM’s office.
Local administration admitted a delay in the rescue operation
Speaking about the security concerns raised by the judicial officers, Special Observer N K Mishra said that personal security of the officers was not in question, but the response of the local administration was delayed. “They (the judicial officers) have been provided adequate security. But that day, the question was not only about their personal security because a huge mass had blocked two gates of the BDO office. The administration should have reacted promptly, but it was delayed. We are looking into that. All judicial officers have been relocated to Malda town. Where they were residing, they are doing adjudication from there. They have been provided adequate security with CAPF wherever they are presently residing, be it a hotel or rented houses,” Mishra told The Indian Express.
The delay in rescue operations was also acknowledged by Additional Director General of Police (North Bengal) K Jayaraman. “The protest was peaceful. We thought we would rescue them in the afternoon when the officers finished their work, but that was delayed, and they were rescued after midnight. We are submitting a report on this. It’s not that there weren’t enough security measures. They were stuck, scared, so they said that. But their rescue was delayed. We are looking into why that was delayed,” the ADG was quoted as saying. “The security of each judicial official was ensured. Initially, we were not using CAPF, but now they have been given CAPF security. They are working either from their residences or other private facilities,” he added. 19 cases have been registered in connection with the Malda incident, and 36 persons have been arrested so far.
Seven judicial officers were held hostage by the mob in Malda
An alarming situation emerged in West Bengal’s Malda district on Wednesday evening(1st April) after a large mob held seven judicial officers hostage at the Block Development Officer (BDO) office in Kaliachak-II, a Muslim-dominated area. The officers, including three women, were deployed to verify documents of voters whose names were marked “under adjudication” during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India.
An angry mob held the judicial officers, along with a five-year-old child of one of the officers, hostage for about nine hours. The judicial officers were left stranded in the BDO office without access to food and water. The outburst was linked to the deletion of the names of several infiltrators living in the area from supplementary voter lists released recently.
After the collective efforts of the central forces and the police, the judicial officers were rescued past midnight, but the mob did not calm down. As the judicial officers were being escorted, the mob tried to stop their vehicles by placing bamboo poles on the road and pelted stones and bricks at them. The so-called protestors also blocked the National Highway 12 (Kolkata-Siliguri National Highway) in Malda, disrupting connectivity between North and South Bengal.
The incident attracted criticism from the Supreme Court regarding the failure of the ruling TMC government to ensure the safety of the judicial officers. The investigation into the Malda incident was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) by the Election Commission.
