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EC hands over Malda violence probe involving judicial officers in Bengal's Malda to NIA
In an April 2 letter to the National Investigating Agency, the poll body referred to the apex court's order and directed it to probe the Wednesday incident.
The Election Commission of India on Thursday handed over the probe into the a mob picketing judicial officers in West Bengal's Malda district to the NIA, following a Supreme Court directive.
The development comes after a mob in Malda surrounded a group of seven judicial officers, including three women, during an SIR exercise in Malda around 4 pm. The workers were confined for over eight hours by a group of protesters at a BDO office, following which they were rescued around midnight.
In an April 2 letter to the central agency, the EC referred to the apex court's order and directed it to probe the Wednesday incident. An ECI spokesperson said an NIA team would be in the poll-bound state on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court took slammed the Bengal administration for its "complete failure" and inaction, and directed a CBI or NIA probe into the events.
What EC said in the letter to NIA?
In the letter to NIA, the EC urged the probe agency to probe the Malda incident and submit a preliminary report to the Supreme Court.
"In this regard, I am directed to request that the necessary inquiry/investigation into the matter be conducted and a preliminary inquiry report be submitted directly to the Hon'ble court as per the above directions," the EC told the NIA DG in a letter.
The incident occurred during the SIR exercise in the Kaliachowk area of Malda district, where seven judicial officers were picketed by "anti-social elements" at a BDO office starting at 3:30 pm on Wednesday.
The officers were rescued around midnight by security forces after they were gheraoed by a mob over the alleged deletion of names from the electoral rolls, officials said.
