SC raps Bengal after SIR officers held hostage, Mamata blames EC

In West Bengal, seven judicial officers, who were engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR),  were held hostage for over nine hours in Malda district by a group of voters.   challenges the authority of the Supreme Court and appears to be "calculated and motivated", Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Thursday and asked the Election Commission of India to get the incident probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the National Investigation Agency, and added that it will monitor the probe. As per reports, the officers were gheraoed on Wednesday afternoon and rescued only around 1 am Thursday, when a massive contingent of police and paramilitary personnel rescued them to safety.
The Chief Justice of India said the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court had to call the DGP and the Home Secretary to ensure help reaches the officers. "When they were released after midnight, and they were going to their places, there was stone pelting on their vehicles and attacks by sticks etc," he said. "We will not allow anyone to interfere and take the law into their hands to create a psychological attack on the minds of judicial officers. This is also an abdication of duty by the West Bengal government and the officers need to furnish reasons why, even after being informed, they did not ensure safe evacuation of the officers."
A massive protest erupted outside the Kaliachak II Block Development Office (BDO) on Wednesday over the deletion of names from the electoral rolls during the SIR. The protesters first sought a meeting with the judicial officers. However, their request was denied. Around 4 pm, they gheraoed the BDO office, taking the seven judicial officers, including three women, hostage. A five-year-old child of one of the officers was also inside.

Unprecedented developments in West Bengal.

The Kaliachak-II BDO office was under siege. North Bengal and South Bengal were effectively cut off, with protesters blocking NH-12. Seven judicial officers, including three women, were trapped inside. The situation had spiralled out of… pic.twitter.com/AvYGOAzxMh

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 1, 2026

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday blamed the Election Commission for "failing to protect" judicial officers engaged in the SIR exercise in West Bengal's Malda district. "I condemn the Election Commission for failing to protect the judicial officers," Banerjee said, addressing an election rally in Murshidabad district.