News

'BJP plotting Presidents Rule, dont fall in the trap': Mamata Banerjee on Malda unrest, urges peace

by Trans World Features | @twfindia 02 Apr 2026, 06:29 am

Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday blamed “outside provocation” for the nine-hour hostage crisis involving judicial officers in Malda’s Kaliachak, even as the incident drew strong criticism from the Supreme Court of India.

Addressing a rally in Sagardighi, Banerjee appealed to the minority community to remain calm and not fall prey to what she described as attempts to incite unrest and divide votes ahead of the Assembly elections.

“The protest must remain peaceful. Do not fall into the trap of outside forces or a few rebels acting at the BJP’s behest to create chaos,” she said.

Assuring support to voters whose names were excluded during the ongoing revision of electoral rolls, the Chief Minister warned that any escalation could have serious political consequences.

“This appears to be part of a larger game plan to disrupt the Assembly elections and push for President’s Rule. The choice is yours—whether to allow that or let the elected government continue,” Banerjee said.

She further urged people to resist attempts to divide communities.

“If you trust us, do not give in to provocation. Some political actors from outside the state are trying to influence voters and create divisions. Do not indulge them—stand united and safeguard the state,” she added.

What happened?

In a dramatic escalation, seven judicial officers—including three women—were held hostage for over nine hours by a large crowd in Kaliachak, allegedly protesting deletion of names from voter rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The officers were rescued around 1 am after police and paramilitary forces intervened, raising serious questions over delayed response and lack of immediate security cover.

The incident has since triggered a political blame game, with the ruling Trinamool Congress accusing the Election Commission of India of mishandling the situation.

Supreme Court’s sharp observation

Taking serious note of the development, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant termed the incident “calculated and motivated” and described West Bengal as the “most polarised state”.

The apex court directed the ECI to consider a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation or the National Investigation Agency, and asked authorities to ensure protection for judicial officers engaged in the SIR process.

During the hearing, the CJI also expressed strong displeasure, noting he had monitored the situation till 2 am and calling the episode “very, very unfortunate”.