Malda: As many as eighteen people, including Shahjahan Ali Qadri, the ISF candidate from Mothabari Assembly Constituency, have been arrested in connection with the violent protests over alleged deletions from electoral rolls that rocked Malda district on Wednesday. Police said all the accused have been produced before a court and remanded to ten days’ police custody.
Malda SP Anupam Singh stated: “We have identified many and are searching for them. So far, 18 have been arrested, with 4 cases registered. They were produced in court and remanded to ten days of police custody.”
Qadri, while being taken to court, denied any role in the unrest, claiming: “A plot has been hatched against me as I am the ISF candidate. I was nowhere near the agitation and was only returning from a function.”
Tension continues to grip large parts of Malda, with the situation turning volatile at Mothabari under the Kaliachak-II block. The unrest peaked on Wednesday when agitated residents gheraoed judicial officials for nearly nine hours at the Block Development Office (BDO), where hearings related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists were underway. According to reports, hundreds of protesters assembled outside the BDO office, alleging that their names had been arbitrarily removed from the voter list despite submitting valid documents.
As tension escalated, demonstrators locked the exit gates around 4 pm, confining seven judicial officials, including three women, inside the premises until nearly midnight. Protesters raised slogans such as “no vote before voters,” reflecting deep anger and distrust among locals.
Heavy police and central forces were deployed, but initial attempts to disperse the crowd failed. The officials were eventually rescued late at night under tight security arrangements. Locals alleged that smoke bombs were used during the operation, while protesters attempted to block police vehicles using bamboo barricades. Several vehicles were vandalised during the clashes.
Amid the chaos, a protester, Alam Sheikh (37), sustained injuries during the rescue operation and was admitted to Malda Medical College and Hospital, further escalating tensions. The unrest spread to other areas, including Sujapur, Baishnabnagar, and English Bazar. Fresh protests erupted on Thursday in Jadupur, Narayanpur, and Manikchak, where demonstrators blocked key routes, including National Highway-12, disrupting traffic along the crucial Kolkata–Siliguri corridor for nearly 18 hours. A police vehicle was vandalised at Jadupur, with a policeman receiving injury.
Protesters alleged that genuine voters, particularly from minority communities, were being excluded from the rolls. Women actively participated in the agitation, staging sit-ins, cooking food on the highways and carrying out symbolic demonstrations. A three-member observer team from the Calcutta High Court is expected to visit Mothabari, while heavy police deployment continues across sensitive areas.