NIA files chargesheets in two more Mothabari poll officials violence cases

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday filed chargesheets in two more cases linked to the violence and alleged harassment of election officials at Mothabari in West Bengal’s Malda district. The chargesheets were subsequently submitted before the Special NIA Court at Bichar Bhavan in Kolkata.

In the two cases, the NIA has named a total of 23 accused. One chargesheet, running to 54 pages, names 22 accused, while the second, comprising 11 pages, names one accused.

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The agency has invoked multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges of attempted murder, assault on public servants, wrongful restraint, obstructing public servants from discharging official duties, unlawful confinement, and other serious offences.

One of the chargesheets include the name of Rinku Ari among the accused.

Earlier this month, the NIA had filed chargesheets against 31 accused in four other cases arising out of the same incident. Those four chargesheets named 3, 15, 10 and 3 accused respectively, including key accused Mofakkerul Islam and Ekramul Badnani in one of the cases.

With Tuesday’s filings, the NIA has now submitted chargesheets in six of the 12 cases registered in connection with the Mothabari violence.

The incident took place during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, when tensions flared at Mothabari in Kaliachak. Protesters, alleging that eligible voters’ names were being omitted from the electoral rolls despite valid documentation, allegedly confined election officials engaged in the revision exercise inside the Block Development Office for several hours.

Demonstrators also blocked National Highway 12. As officials, including women election officers, were being escorted out, their vehicles allegedly came under attack and several officials were reportedly harassed.

Following the incident, the investigation into the attacks on the election officials was transferred to the NIA.