Mamata Banerjee blames AIMIM, ISF for judicial officers’ gherao; accuses Congress, BJP of instigation

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday (April 3, 2026) blamed AIMIM and ISF for the gherao of judicial officers in Malda district and accused the Congress and the BJP of instigation.

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Stating that the mastermind behind Wednesday’s (April 1) gherao of the judicial officers for several hours in Malda district’s Mothabari was arrested by the State’s CID, Ms. Banerjee claimed that this police organisation is still under her control and not of the Election Commission.

“The BJP loaned him (the accused) from the AIMIM and brought him here,” she alleged, while addressing an election rally at Harirampur in Dakshin Dinajpur district.

“ISF is with them; Congress and BJP have also provided instigation,” the Trinamool Congress chief alleged, while stating that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the main accused, advocate Mofakkarul Islam, from Bagdogra airport when he was trying to flee.

“It is they who engineered the violence in Malda’s Mothabari,” she said.

She questioned why the Assembly polls cannot be conducted with the same electoral rolls, which were used in the 2024 general elections.

“If the voter list contained names of infiltrators, Mr. Modi also won with their votes earlier, so he should resign first,” she said.

“Money is being brought in using CRPF vehicles,” she alleged, claiming that she knows where these were going.

“I have a record of these movements and will expose them at the appropriate time,” she said.

Ms. Banerjee said that the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in West Bengal during the polls will lead to a reduction in the BJP’s vote share.

Mr. Shah has said that he would camp in West Bengal during the elections.