The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a local leader in one of the cases related to the pre-poll SIR related to mob blockades, violence and detention of judicial officers that took place in West Bengal’s Malda district in April.
The local political leader from Mothbari (Malda) Sayem Chowdhary @Babu Chowdhary was taken into custody by an NIA team after he was questioned at the agency’s branch office in Kolkata.
A total of 30 accused have so far been arrested by the NIA in the case.
The NIA is investigating over a dozen cases of mob protests and illegal detention of judicial officers during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls in Malda district ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.
NIA investigations revealed that Sayem Chowdhary was a key accused involved in illegal detention of judicial officers at BDO Office Block-II on April 1, 2026.
He was part of the mob that had indulged in disruption of law and order, and carried out attacks on police personnel engaged in official duty. Nine police personnel were injured in the attacks.
As per NIA investigations, the accused had delivered a speech in front of the BDO office a day before the incident to instigate people to engage in violent protests.
He had conspired with other co-accused persons, and participated actively in the unlawful assemblies that resorted to violence, intimidation, and obstruction during the SIR exercise.
The NIA is continuing with its probe to identify and track all accused involved in the various cases as part of the bigger conspiracy behind the large-scale pre-poll violence.
The agency had initiated probe into the cases on the directives of the Supreme Court that had taken suo moto cognisance of April’s violence in Malda.
