Kolkata, April 17: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has requested custody of 12 individuals among the 49 arrested in connection with the Mothabari violence in Malda district. This incident involved the harassment of judges engaged in a special intensive review process.
The remaining 37 accused have been sent to judicial custody. The lawyer for one of the arrested, Mofakkarul Islam, has filed for bail, with state police identifying him as the ‘mastermind’ behind the incident.
The hearing for the Mothabari case took place on Thursday at the Kolkata Sessions Court. To date, a total of 52 individuals have been arrested, with 49 being implicated in the case on Thursday.
Mofakkarul’s lawyer claims that his client is being made a ‘scapegoat’ and alleges a larger conspiracy behind the events. However, the NIA stated that the investigation is still in its early stages, and not all information can be disclosed at this time.
The lawyer noted that the Supreme Court has ordered transparency in the NIA investigation. He asserted that Mofakkarul had attempted to disperse the crowd and that there is no likelihood of his involvement in the violence.
He further mentioned that Mofakkarul is quite popular on social media and that people had appealed to him to help clear the crowd. The lawyer also indicated that the police had sought his cooperation and expressed hope that the court would grant bail.
Tensions escalated in Mothabari on April 3 regarding the SIR, with allegations that those removed from the list had surrounded the judges, preventing them from leaving until late at night.
The Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of the matter, leading to the Election Commission assigning the investigation to the NIA. Following Mofakkarul’s arrest by the state police’s CID, the NIA conducted several additional arrests.
The NIA’s lawyer stated in court that the accused are involved in the incident, either directly or indirectly. He reiterated that the investigation is still in its initial phase, and thus, not all details can be made public.
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