Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 5 : Following the recent hostage incident involving judicial officers in Malda, All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Moulana Abu Talib Rehmani has urged the Election Commission to ensure the safety of officials and the public, and asserted that legitimate voters should not be removed.
Speaking to ANI, Rehmani said, "I believe the Election Commissioners, and the system as a whole, must pay close attention to these issues. I have always opposed violence and will continue to do so. Protection should extend not only to bureaucrats and the judiciary, but also to ordinary citizens."
Earlier, a major political storm had erupted in West Bengal as seven judicial officers, including three women, were held hostage by villagers in Malda district on Wednesday.
The standoff was triggered by mass deletions from the electoral rolls under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The incident was part of a broader wave of protests that paralysed Malda throughout the day, as demonstrators staged road blockades across national and state highways and key rural routes in at least five Assembly constituencies.
ADG North Bengal K Jayaraman stated that 35 people have been arrested so far in connection with the Malda hostage incident, asserting that authorities will not tolerate further violence.
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state, Rehmani expressed concern over the exclusion of legitimate voters, stating, "If someone holds valid documents... yet their name is missing... denying them the right to vote is deeply unfortunate. Such exclusion would tarnish the electoral process".
As the NIA probes the Malda incident following a Supreme Court directive, the controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has intensified in West Bengal ahead of the Assembly polls.
The West Bengal Legislative Assembly consists of 294 seats, with the primary contest expected to be between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, has been in power in the state since 2011.