Tension gripped West Bengal’s Malda district on Wednesday evening(1st April) after a large mob surrounded and gheraoed seven judicial officers at the Block Development Officer (BDO) office in Kaliachak-II, a Muslim-dominated area. The officers, including four women, had been 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.
This are scary scenes from Malda's Kaliachak last night, a huge mob kept the Kaliachak BDO Office gheroed for hours. 7 Judicial Officers were trapped inside since 4PM. This is fully a planned gathering for intimidation. Absence of both Police & Central Forces allowed it to happen pic.twitter.com/bJS2EEYmh5
— Sudhanidhi Bandyopadhyay (@SudhanidhiB) April 2, 2026
According to officials, the situation quickly escalated as a crowd gathered outside the BDO office, preventing the officers from leaving. This led to a serious situation, prompting the district authorities, including the Superintendent of Police and the Additional District Magistrate, to rush to the spot at 11 pm. A large police force was deployed at the spot to bring the situation under control.
Vehicles attacked during evacuation
Even after efforts were made to safely escort the judicial officers out past midnight, the situation did not fully calm down. As the officers were leaving for their residences, their vehicles were reportedly attacked. Stones were pelted, and some radicals also used sticks and bricks, raising serious concerns about the safety of officials carrying out election-related duties.
The incident has drawn sharp observations from the Calcutta High Court, which is monitoring the verification process. The Chief Justice expressed concern over the delay in administrative response and noted that such incidents could discourage judicial officers from performing their duties.
The unrest is linked to the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in the district. Many infiltrators living in the area found their names missing from the supplementary voter lists released recently, leading to anger and protests.
Malda has recorded more than 18,000 dead and duplicate voters, while the number of adjudicated electors stands at around 8.30 lakh, a significant figure compared to the total electorate of 29.86 lakh in the district.
Protests were not limited to Kaliachak alone. Demonstrations were reported from other parts of the district as well, with protesters blocking National Highway 12, disrupting connectivity between North and South Bengal.
Strong reaction from BJP IT cell chief
Reacting to the incident, Amit Malviya strongly condemned the situation and shared a detailed post on X. He wrote, “Unprecedented developments in West Bengal. The Kaliachak-II BDO office was under siege. North Bengal and South Bengal were effectively cut off, with protesters blocking NH-12. Seven judicial officers, including three women, were trapped inside.”
Unprecedented developments in West Bengal.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 1, 2026
The Kaliachak-II BDO office was under siege. North Bengal and South Bengal were effectively cut off, with protesters blocking NH-12. Seven judicial officers, including three women, were trapped inside. The situation had spiralled out of… pic.twitter.com/AvYGOAzxMh
He further added that the situation had become highly volatile, with roads blocked from all sides and officers unable to move safely. “Following instructions from the District Judge, the officers stayed together and avoided individual movement to minimise risk. However, the situation continued to deteriorate. There was an urgent need for immediate intervention… Law and order cannot be allowed to collapse like this,” he said.
The incident has now raised serious questions about law and order in the state, especially with elections approaching and administrative officials facing direct threats while performing their duties.
