Assembly election LIVE: Judicial officers’ gherao fresh flashpoint in TMC-BJP war in West Bengal; EC hands over probe to NIA

The Election Commission has handed over the probe into the gherao of seven judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision exercise in West Bengal’s Malda to the NIA as the incident plunged the State into fresh turmoil, with the TMC and the BJP blaming each other for it.

While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the poll panel of fomenting unrest to facilitate President’s rule in the poll-bound state, the BJP alleged the TMC had orchestrated the Wednesday (April 1, 2026) protest to protect “bogus voters”.

As political confrontations intensified and the Supreme Court stepped in to censure the state administration over the Malda episode, agitation against the SIR of electoral rolls spread across districts on Thursday, just three weeks ahead of the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly election.

Protesters burned tyres, blocked roads and held silent marches in Malda, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Purba Bardhaman, where voting will be held on April 23.

– PTI