Chaos in Malda: 7 Judicial Officers Held Hostage as Protests Erupt Over Mass Voter Deletions
Chaos in Malda: 7 Judicial Officers Held Hostage as Protests Erupt Over Mass Voter Deletions MALDA / NEW DELHI | April 2, 2026 In a shocking escalation of pre-poll tensions in West Bengal, seven judicial officers—including three women—were held hostage for over nine hours by an angry mob in Malda district. The incident, which unfolded at the Kaliachak-II Block Development Office (BDO), has triggered a suomotu intervention by the Supreme Court and sparked a fierce political slugfest between the TMC and BJP. The Standoff at Kaliachak The judicial officers were stationed at the BDO office to adjudicate cases under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. According to reports, several thousand villagers surrounded the building around 4:00 PM on Wednesday, protesting the large-scale deletion of names from the voters' list. Protesters alleged that despite submitting genuine documents, their names were struck off, leaving them disenfranchised just weeks before the s...