The tension in West Bengal’s Malda district reached a boiling point this week, culminating in the high-profile arrest of Mofakkerul Islam by the State CID. Islam, a lawyer who contested the 2021 Assembly elections on an AIMIM ticket, was intercepted at Bagdogra Airport while reportedly attempting to flee to Bengaluru.
The arrest follows a harrowing incident in Kaliachak Block II, where a mob gheraoed seven judicial officers—including three women—for over nine hours. The officials, who were in the area for judicial adjudication work related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, were trapped as a mob of thousands blocked roads and attacked police vehicles with stones and bamboo barricades.
Who is Mofakkerul Islam?
Mofakkerul Islam is a Calcutta High Court lawyer and a resident of Itahar in Uttar Dinajpur. While he gained only a small fraction of votes in the 2021 polls, investigators allege he played a pivotal role in mobilizing the crowd in Kaliachak. Viral videos purportedly show Islam standing atop a car, delivering inflammatory speeches and challenging senior administrative officials to face the protesters.
Despite his arrest, Islam maintained his stance, claiming he was merely supporting citizens whose names were "unjustly deleted" from the electoral rolls. "The demonstration will go on until names of all deleted voters are restored," he told reporters while being escorted by police.
A Political Powder Keg
The violence in Malda has quickly become a central theme in the pre-election rhetoric of West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was quick to distance her administration from the chaos, blaming a "clandestine understanding" between the AIMIM, ISF, and the BJP. She alleged that the BJP was using these "fringe elements" to instigate violence and create a pretext for the imposition of President’s Rule in the state.
On the other hand, the BJP has slammed the TMC government for a "complete collapse of law and order." The saffron party questioned how judicial officers could be held hostage for nine hours under the nose of the state police. The Election Commission (EC) has already directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the incident, a move the Supreme Court described as necessary given the "brazen attempt" to challenge judicial authority.
The SIR Row and the Road Ahead
At the heart of this unrest is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. Large-scale deletions have sparked fear and anger among locals in Malda and Murshidabad, with many viewing it as a disenfranchisement tactic. While the administration claims the deletions follow due process, the lack of clear communication has allowed local leaders to channel this frustration into organized resistance.
With 35 arrests made so far and the NIA now on the ground, the Malda incident is no longer just a local law-and-order issue. It has become a litmus test for the state's stability ahead of the April 23 polling dates. As the CID intensifies its interrogation of Mofakkerul Islam, the political temperature in Bengal is only expected to rise.