"Don't know who gheraoed SIR officials", says Mamata after SC's rap over Malda incident; calls it BJP's gameplan

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday blamed the BJP for the Malda gherao incident, a day after the Supreme Court sharply criticised the state over judicial officers being held hostage during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Addressing a public meeting in Sagardighi, she distanced her government from the episode, stating that public anger over the SIR process had triggered unrest and asserting, “I don’t know who are those people… people are angry with SIR.”

Banerjee further claimed that her administration no longer had full control over law and order, alleging that powers had effectively shifted during the election period. She accused the BJP of orchestrating the incident as part of a larger “gameplan” to disrupt the electoral process, suggesting that the opposition was attempting to create conditions for cancellation of the Assembly elections and imposition of President’s rule in the state.

Taking aim at the Election Commission, the Chief Minister alleged failure in ensuring the safety of judicial officers involved in the SIR exercise. She said that despite assuming control over administrative mechanisms during elections, the Commission did not provide adequate protection, even as tensions escalated over large-scale deletions from voter rolls.

The remarks came in the backdrop of Wednesday’s incident in Malda’s Kaliachak II block, where seven judicial officers, including three women, were confined for nearly nine hours by protesters demanding clarity on voter list revisions. The Supreme Court later termed the episode serious and directed a probe by central agencies, while expressing concern over the highly polarised environment surrounding the electoral process.