Bengal police arrest 18 people in connection with Kaliachak hostage incident

West Bengal Police have arrested 18 individuals in connection with a high-tension incident in Malda district, where a group of protesters held seven judicial officers hostage for over nine hours. The crisis unfolded on Wednesday afternoon at the Kaliachak 2 Block Development Office during a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls. The protesters, allegedly aggrieved by the deletion of their names from the voter list, surrounded the building around 4 pm and refused to let the officials—including three women and a five-year-old child—leave until security forces intervened after midnight.

The Supreme Court took serious note of the incident on Thursday, describing it as a "calculated and motivated" attempt to demoralize judicial officers and disrupt the election process. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant slammed the state government's handling of the situation, calling it a "criminal failure" and an "abdication of duty". The CJI expressed shock over the polarization in the state, noting that he had to intervene personally late at night to ensure the officials were rescued safely.

In response to the "complete breakdown of law and order" during the siege, the apex court has directed the immediate deployment of central forces to protect all judicial officers involved in the SIR process. The court also issued show-cause notices to the West Bengal Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP), demanding an explanation for their inaction. Furthermore, the Election Commission has been authorized to consider a specialized probe by either the CBI or the NIA to uncover the potential "pre-planned" nature of the agitation.