Kolkata: A former AIMIM candidate was arrested on Friday over the gherao of the seven judicial officers in Malda district, adding a fresh political twist to the case as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the Asaduddin Owasi-led party, the BJP, and the ISF for “engineering” the unrest.
An NIA team visited Mothabari and Kaliachak police stations in Malda to probe the Wednesday incident. The federal anti-terror probe agency has been tasked by the Election Commission to investigate the matter, following a directive from the Supreme Court.
Advocate Mofakkarul Islam, described by the police as the “mastermind” behind Wednesday’s blockade and gherao in Malda’s Kaliachak area, was arrested at Bagdogra airport while allegedly trying to board a flight to Bengaluru.
“He is the mastermind of the Kaliachak incident in which seven judicial officers were gheraoed inside a block office for several hours,” a senior police officer said.
Along with him, another person, Akramul Bagani, was arrested. Police said Bagani had reached Bagdogra from Alipurduar on a motorcycle, and his role was being investigated.
ADG (North Bengal) K Jayaraman said three cases had been lodged against Mofakkarul for allegedly instigating locals through speeches at different protest sites.
“We started tracking Mofakkarul Islam after the incident, and with the help of the CID and Siliguri Police, nabbed him and his associate from Bagdogra airport,” Jayaraman said, adding that 19 cases have been registered in connection with the Malda violence and 35 people arrested, including an ISF candidate.
“Despite the NIA taking over the probe, the West Bengal Police will continue its investigation to determine whether the incident was pre-planned and if more people were involved,” he said.
The police said Mofakkarul, a resident of Itahar who now lives in Kolkata, had posted a cryptic message on social media before his arrest.
In a Facebook Live video before being taken away, Mofakkarul claimed he had only joined a protest against the deletion of names from the voters’ list.
“I have been arrested at Bagdogra airport because I stood with the voters whose names had been deleted,” he said.
As he was being taken to Malda, he remained defiant. “This movement will continue till the names are restored,” he told reporters.
The arrest came barely 24 hours after the Supreme Court sharply criticised the West Bengal administration over the confinement of the judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision exercise and directed that the incident be investigated by an agency like the NIA or CBI.
