Kolkata, April 3: The Election Commission has transferred the investigation of the incident involving seven judicial officers in Malda district’s Kaliyachak to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). This decision was made on Thursday evening.
Earlier, a bench of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Suryakant, condemned the incident, labeling it a complete failure of law and order in the state. The court directed that the investigation be conducted by either the CBI or the NIA.
The Election Commission’s letter to the NIA stated that the case pertains to the encirclement of seven judicial officers engaged in a special intensive review of the electoral rolls at the BDO office in Kaliyachak, which was carried out by anti-social elements.
The letter further noted that the Supreme Court ordered the investigation to be assigned to an independent agency, such as the Central Bureau of Investigation or the National Investigation Agency. A compliance report regarding this matter is to be submitted to the court. Additionally, the agency assigned for the investigation is required to present its preliminary report directly to the Supreme Court.
The Election Commission requested the NIA to conduct the necessary investigation and submit the preliminary report to the court as directed.
It is important to mention that on Wednesday, seven judicial officers, including three women, were taken hostage at a block office in Kaliyachak, Malda district. Allegations suggest that those involved in the hostage situation were individuals whose names were removed from the electoral rolls under ‘logical discrepancy.’
On Thursday, a large police contingent, led by senior officials, arrived at the scene, cleared the protesters, and safely extricated the judicial officers, who had been held for approximately nine hours.
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